


The Green and the Yellow, Book 4: The Tournament of Elements

by DoveShadow



Series: The Green and the Yellow [4]
Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Action/Adventure, All the shenanigans, Couple goals, Elemental masters galore, F/M, Green Ninja, Master Chen is crazy, Ninja, Ninja still never quit, Ninjago, Romance, Spinjitzu will always be fun, We're rescuing Zane if it's the last thing we do, Yellow Ninja, chartreuse, lots of fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:33:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 68,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26725984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DoveShadow/pseuds/DoveShadow
Summary: After Zane’s heroic sacrifice, the ninja team is fractured by the loss of their dear friend. Aurora and Lloyd continue to train in the ways of the ninja as their friends go their separate ways. Some time passes, and the ninja all reunite, only to discover that Zane may actually be alive---and the only way to find him is to compete in the mysterious Tournament of Elements. But upon arrival, Aurora and her friends soon learn that there’s much more going on than meets the eye.
Relationships: Kai/Skylor (Ninjago), Lloyd Garmadon/Original Female Character(s), Lord Garmadon/Misako (Ninjago), P.I.X.A.L./Zane (Ninjago)
Series: The Green and the Yellow [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1677793
Comments: 111
Kudos: 27





	1. Episode 36: Love in the Time of Ninjas

**Author's Note:**

> The wait is over! Book 4 is HERE!!! Wooooo-hooooo!!! *throws confetti*
> 
> Thank you all for waiting so patiently! Many of you have expressed your excitement and anticipation for this season, and I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long! It's only been three weeks since we finished season 3, but to me, it feels like it was so long ago! I know many of you feel the same way. And, as per tradition, updates will still be every Wednesday!
> 
> This first chapter is pure FLUFF, and I pray you don't spontaneously combust. This was gonna be the intro for the events of the first episode, but that chapter turned out to be super long on its own, so I made this fluffiness into its own special chapter. As always, I hope you all enjoy! :D  
> \----------------------------------

“That had to be our best date yet.”

Lloyd, who sat in front of me on the motorcycle, craned his neck around to raise a surprised eyebrow at my statement. “Really? I think we’ve had a few dates better than that.”

I snickered. “Nah. I stand by my opinion.”

The Green Ninja and I had just concluded our latest date, and it had been a little unorthodox. It had started off innocently enough, with the two of us going to see the newest Fritz Donnagen movie. That had been exciting all on its own. Then afterwards, for reasons I still wasn’t quite sure of (probably because Lloyd and I were both on small sugar highs from all the candy we’d consumed during the movie), we decided to play a few silly, harmless pranks. We scared the pants off of a few harmless passersby on the street while we hid on a roof, using flashes of my light to lure them down alleyways then jump down and scare them. It was hilarious, and the two of us could hardly contain our laughter the entire time.

Then, when we started to stroll out of the city, a group of fans recognized us as we passed by them. Unfortunately, they were the type to go crazy as soon as they saw us, shouting and pointing and even taking pictures. Of course, since we were on a date, we didn’t want to pose for pictures or draw a crowd or anything like that. We tried telling them so, but they weren’t listening, consumed by their excitement at seeing the famous Green Ninja and Yellow Ninja out in public together. So, Lloyd and I did what most people would do in that situation: we turned tail and ran.

Physically fit as we both were, it didn’t take us long to outrun the mob of fans and lose them, vanishing into the night like only a ninja could. Once we were alone again and the crazy fans were long gone, the two of us found ourselves laughing hysterically at the situation. After taking a moment to let our giggling die down, we finally left the city, hopping on Lloyd’s bike and zooming off down the road.

As we talked, we soon arrived at our destination: the valley where Sensei Garmadon’s monastery was. Lloyd stopped his motorbike next to the path that went through the forest to the entrance. I let go of him and he hopped off, immediately turning around and plucking me from my seat. I giggled as he set me down on my feet, letting go of me and grabbing my hand as we walked toward the monastery.

“So, what made that our ‘best date yet?’” Lloyd asked me curiously.

He had a point; we’d indeed had better dates, at least by normal standards. We’d been on romantic picnics, to amusement parks, to other movies, to arcades, and to the occasional fancy dinner. Even when we trained with each other, we sort of considered it a date.

I chuckled, trying to think of a way to put my thoughts into words. “Well, sure, our previous dates were more romantic, normal, and planned out, but something about this one was just...fun. Not that our other dates weren’t fun--they were--but this one was more spontaneous and surprising; and you know how much I like surprises. We laughed a lot, and had a little adventure along the way. I, uh… I hope that makes sense.” I nudged him, smirking. “Plus, I just got to spend time with you. Anytime I get to do that is the best day ever in my book.” 

Once I finished talking, Lloyd didn’t respond. He just gazed at me with loving eyes, smiling pleasantly. 

His expression and attention made me giggle shyly. “What?” I inquired.

“I just...love you,” Lloyd replied, his tone full of admiration. “So much.”

The words made me blush and grin in delight. “I love you, too,” I informed him. “So much.”

The two of us shared a kiss as we approached the monastery. We strolled up to the front door, and once we arrived, Lloyd let go of my hand and immediately moved to hold open the door for me. He bowed elegantly, gesturing with his hand. “My lady,” he invited.

I giggled again at his gentlemanly antics. What did I do to deserve this boy? “Thank you, kind sir,” I replied, playing along with a curtsey before walking inside.

We ventured past the large training room and up the stairs to where the living areas were. Lloyd’s parents greeted us as we passed by the kitchen, and after exchanging a few words with them, we made our way to Lloyd’s room. After most of our dates, we’d find ourselves coming here to chill and hang out. Sometimes we played video games, and sometimes we just talked while watching TV. Most of the time, we did both.

Tonight was one of those times. We sat on the bed and played one of our favorite video games together, bantering and chatting as we did. I may or may not have distracted him with kisses so I could win. Lloyd and I didn’t really get many chances to play video games anymore, so we tried to play them whenever we could.

After we’d had our fill of gaming, we both just sort of flopped down on the bed while the TV ran ambiently in the background; the energy the candy had given us was beginning to wear off. We talked about whatever came to mind, and I was growing sleepy because I was using Lloyd’s chest as a pillow.

At one point, I started thinking about Zane, and grew a little depressed. I thought about him almost every day, unable to stop noticing the lack of his presence in our lives. I tried to not let it get me down--he wouldn’t have wanted me to be sad--but it was difficult, and probably would be for a long time. I missed him so much.

Noticing my sudden mood change, Lloyd asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” I replied, sighing. “I’m just...thinking about Zane again.”

Lloyd didn’t say anything for a moment, but then I saw him make a playful smirk. “Wow, Aurora. You’re with me and you’re thinking of another guy.”

“Oh, shut up!” I laughed, sitting up and tossing a pillow at him. “Not like that.”

He laughed at my outburst, rolling over as the pillow struck him in the face. I shook my head at him, scooting over to sit against the wall. He sat up, scooching over to sit by me.

“I miss him, too,” Lloyd said after our laughter and smiles had faded.

I sighed again, leaning my head on his shoulder. “It’s still hard to believe that he’s really gone...” Even though it had been a while since his death, it was still hard to accept.

We were both silent for a few moments as those depressing thoughts mulled over in our heads. Unfortunately, a lot of things had changed since Zane passed: the team had been fractured, and everyone had gone their separate ways. Lloyd and I were still training and honing our ninja skills, but the others had all but left the ninja life for now, off doing other things by themselves. Jay was hosting his own game show, Cole was using his super strength to volunteer and help people out, and Kai… Well, he was still fighting, just not in the ways of the ninja. It made me sad, thinking about how much the absence of Zane had made us all grow apart.

“I wonder how the others are doing,” Lloyd pondered aloud, apparently thinking about the same thing I was.

“They were okay, last I heard,” I informed him. “Well, as okay as can be expected.” I looked up at him. “Did you tell them that Sensei wants them at training tomorrow?”

Lloyd nodded. “Yeah. But we both know they aren’t gonna show.”

He was probably right, I knew. The others hadn’t expressed much interest in continuing to hone their ninja skills nowadays. “Sensei’s not gonna be happy with them,” I stated, shaking my head. “Maybe I should go smack some sense into the three of them.” Zane would’ve wanted them to continue protecting Ninjago. Maybe if I told them that, they would listen.

“I’d love to see you do that,” Lloyd told me, chuckling at the suggestion.

The two of us stared at the show playing on the TV screen for a while longer, simply enjoying the quiet moment alone. It wasn’t too long before Lloyd started yawning, making me yawn in turn.

“Haven’t had a sugar crash from eating too much candy in a while,” I mused, smiling.

Lloyd chuckled. “I know. Just means that we’ll train twice as hard tomorrow to make up for it.”

After another yawn had forced its way from my mouth, I sat up off the wall, facing him. “Hey, mind if I crash here for the night?”

“Sure,” Lloyd replied, sitting up as well. “My parents won’t mind, as long as we---”

“Sleep in separate bedrooms,” I finished with a laugh. “I know.” I wasn’t sure what they were afraid of us doing behind closed doors.

Since our team wasn’t living together anymore, I didn’t really have an official designated place to call home at the moment. I didn’t mind, however; home was wherever my family was, and I didn’t really need an official place to call my own, since I was out all day every day. Since the Destiny’s Bounty was still being rebuilt by Nya, she and Sensei Wu were staying at their academy that they’d taught at before the Overlord returned. These days, I found myself hopping between staying there and Sensei Garmadon’s monastery, knowing I was welcome at both places. I usually just crashed at whichever one was closest---which, more often than not, was the monastery, since I spent most of my time with Lloyd.

Lloyd hopped off the bed. “Come on,” he said. “We probably should head to bed. We’ll need rest for training tomorrow.”

I knew he was right, but...I just did not feel like moving. I held my arms out to him like the child I was, grasping at air in his direction. “Carry me?” I asked, making puppy dog eyes.

He faked looking put-upon, shaking his head at me. “Oh, alright,” he agreed, acting like it was such a big chore when in reality he didn’t mind. 

He reached over and plucked me from the bed, holding me bridal style. I giggled, wrapping my arms around his neck as he carried me out of his room. He brought me across the hall to the door of another room, having to set me down because it was closed. Technically, it was a guest room, but I’d stayed over here so much that it was considered my room. I slid the screen door open after being set back on my feet, turning back around to Lloyd and standing in the doorway.

“Thank you,” I told him, leaning in to express my gratitude with a kiss.

Lloyd chuckled when I pulled away. “Anything for you, Rose.”

And now I was blushing again. “I love you,” I said.

“I love you, too,” Lloyd replied, cupping my cheek with his hand and stealing another kiss. After a few blissful moments of that, he stepped away. “Goodnight, my lady.”

I smiled at him adoringly as he retreated. “Goodnight.”

Shooting me one last smile, he turned around, heading back over to his room. I slid the screen door closed, turning around and leaning against it for a moment, sighing in content and admiration. Destiny had led me to meeting Lloyd Garmadon---and I was ever so thankful for it. I couldn’t imagine life without him.

After getting over my lovestruck state, I went to get ready for bed. A set of pajamas was kept in this room for me to use, along with a few spare clothes in my size that had randomly appeared one day (Misako’s doing, I was sure). My ninja gi was also kept here when I wasn’t wearing it, as I came here practically every day.

When I finally lied down in the soft bed, I realized how truly tired I felt, the day’s events having worn me out more than I’d originally thought. The bed wrapped me in its embrace, and it didn’t take very long for me to fall asleep. I went to sleep thinking about how lucky I was, looking forward to tomorrow and thanking destiny for all it had given me.


	2. Episode 37: The Invitation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to get the band back together!
> 
> ...Including Zane?
> 
> He's alive?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woot! Chapter 2! Now the season can really begin. I'm so excited to start the tournament! It's gonna be a lot of fun!
> 
> This chapter is nice and long with balanced doses of fluff and angst---so kick back, relax, and enjoy! 
> 
> (And if you're new: welcome, and feel free to leave a comment! Comments make my day. :)  
> \---------------

My mask covered the bottom half of my face as I crept through the dense jungle alongside Lloyd. He and I were the definition of stealth; we knew that if we made even one noise, our enemies would find us. And this was one mission we were determined not to fail.

We came across an open path through the trees, and silently crept into a bush of yellow flowers, peering out through the spaces. A handful of Nindroids were patrolling the area, guarding the entrance to a cave nearby. A few walked around with laser rifles, and a couple others sat atop small motorcycles. 

Lloyd turned to me, making a short series of expressive hand gestures. Once he was finished, I nodded in understanding, and we both split up in different directions. I snuck around behind one of the Nindroids, quickly grabbing him and yanking him into the undergrowth before he could make more than a startled yelp. After swiftly disabling him, I spotted a familiar flash of green on the clearing’s other side, two legs swinging down from a tree to knock a Nindroid over onto its face. It happened so quickly that you almost couldn’t make out what it was. While Lloyd flipped over to two Nindroids to split-kick them in their faces, I pulled out a handful of shurikens, tossing them out of the foliage at the Nindroids. Three of them hit home, each lodging into a Nindroid’s head and making the robots spark and malfunction as they fell over. While I did that, Lloyd swiftly dispatched the other Nindroids one by one. 

Soon, there were only two left, standing next to each other. Leaping from the bushes, I launched myself high into the air, doing somersaults as I flew at the remaining Nindroids. Lloyd had the same idea, leaping through the air as well. We each gracefully landed on top of a Nindroid, knocking them both to the ground. I smiled, proud of how easily we’d handled the situation. Lloyd and I took a moment to exchange a triumphant high-five before dashing into the dark cave.

Inside, after a few twists and turns, we encountered a laser grid blocking our path. I grinned with excitement. Lloyd and I leapt into the grid with no hesitation, working our way through the obstacle side by side. The two of us moved in sync, leaping and flipping and ducking around the dangerous lasers but never once getting in the other’s way. It was a graceful dance that only we knew how to do, and it was more fun than challenging. In no time, we arrived on the other side, each of us triumphantly striking a pose.

We had no time to pat ourselves on the back, because as soon as we arrived past the laser grid, five Nindroids appeared from the adjacent hallway. They immediately fired laser bolts at us, and Lloyd and I ducked and dodged around the bolts as they flew by. I summoned yellow orbs of light while Lloyd summoned green orbs of energy, and we threw them at the Nindroids, swiftly defeating them. As soon as they were down, five more came charging out of the hallway we’d just come from. With a cry of “Ninja, go!” Lloyd and I twirled into our green and yellow tornadoes of Spinjitzu, sweeping the droids up and dispatching them inside before tossing them out of our vortexes. 

Once they were all incapaciatated, we stopped doing Spinjitzu. The ground immediately began rumbling beneath our feet, and I looked behind us to see a giant boulder rolling toward us. Lloyd quickly grabbed a rope that lay nearby, trying it around his waist before grabbing my hand and yanking me along. The two of us sprinted forward towards a hole in the ground, the giant boulder right on our heels. When we neared the hole, I scurried ahead of Lloyd, letting go of his hand for a moment as I dived into it headfirst. Lloyd was right behind me, and he grabbed ahold of my ankles a second before my head could hit the ground. I breathed out a sigh of relief.

We were now dangling inside a high-tech vault room. A few feet away from us was a set of armor, sitting atop a pedestal---our objective. Lloyd started swinging me through the air, and I reached out toward the armor as I gradually swung closer and closer to it. Just as it was almost within my reach, it vanished into thin air. It was a hologram.

Lloyd and I both groaned in defeat. _Aw, come on!_ I thought.

“You got closer than I thought you would.”

We both turned to see Cyrus Borg and Sensei Wu, waiting beyond the fake vault. Borg had designed the test training course that we’d just run through, and I’d say he outdid himself this time. Lloyd let go of my ankles, and I pushed off my hands when I landed to flip forward onto my feet. He then undid the rope around his waist, landing on his feet when he hit the ground. We both pulled down our masks, smiling as we walked over to Borg and Sensei Wu.

“But then again, I didn’t think you’d both be quite so rough on my security droids,” Borg finished, grinning in amusement as he gestured to a sparking pile of dismantled Nindroids.

I pushed his wheelchair along as we walked, grinning sheepishly at his observation. “If it’s any consolation, they were tough to break,” I told him.

“No kidding,” Lloyd agreed. “If you and I can’t steal the Golden Armor, I’d be surprised if anyone else could.” He then turned to Borg curiously. “It’s secure, but where’s the real one?”

“Some secrets are best kept safe,” Borg replied, choosing to remain obscure.

Sensei Wu came up beside us. “Lloyd, Aurora, where are the other ninja? I asked for all of you to take part in this test.”

I cringed. I knew he’d be asking about them sooner or later. Lloyd and I had both known they wouldn’t show.

“Uh,” Lloyd began, unsure of how to break the news to him. “They, uh, they really wanted to be here, but they, uh...all had other...plans.”

I sighed, using my fingers to make air quotes. “Yeah. ‘Other plans.’”

Sensei frowned in disappointment. Borg sighed as I continued to push him along. “I understand perfectly well,” he stated. “The loss of Zane has affected us all. I haven’t even heard word from my assistant Pixal since his memorial. It’s heartbreaking.”

Lloyd and I exchanged crestfallen looks. Things would never be the same without Zane---but it was even worse with the others not even wanting to be around anymore.

“If we dwell too long on what’s missing, we fail to see what can be gained,” Sensei Wu advised. “The absence of Zane will either tear you five apart, or bring you closer together. The choice is yours.”

I knew he was right. If we didn’t want to completely lose Jay, Kai, and Cole, we couldn’t keep letting the team be fractured. _Guess I’ll get to smack some sense into them after all_ , I thought in amusement.

“We’ll do what we can, but it won’t be easy,” Lloyd vowed, and I nodded in agreement.

“The greatest lessons never are,” Sensei told us.

The four of us made our way toward the exit. As we neared the door, Sensei Wu came up to me.

“Aurora, may I speak with you for a moment?” he requested.

I definitely knew what this was about. “Of course, Sensei,” I replied, letting go of Borg’s wheelchair after we’d arrived at the door.

“I’ll wait for you outside,” Lloyd told me, heading for the door.

I nodded at him, turning away as Sensei Wu led me aside to talk. Once Lloyd and Borg were both gone, he asked me, “Any luck?”

I shook my head. “Still nothing,” I reported, looking down at my hands. “Sensei, I’ve tried everything I could think of. I’ve practiced using my elemental light for hours on end, I’ve meditated until I can’t see straight, and I’ve even put myself in precarious situations. I’ve even had Lloyd help me, whether it was fighting against him or just having him nearby. But there’s no sign of it, not even a little.” I sighed in defeat. “My silver power is just...gone.”

Ever since Zane had defeated the Overlord, I hadn’t been able to use my silver power. I had discovered its absence shortly after Zane’s memorial ceremony, and I’d been trying to get to the bottom of it ever since. Every time I tried summoning it, it was nowhere to be seen, not even a single spark of it. I could still use my elemental light just fine, but I couldn’t even feel the vitality of my silver power coursing through my veins anymore. It had simply vanished without a trace.

Sensei hummed in thought. “Gone, or merely elsewhere?”

I raised a confused eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“You are special, Aurora. You’ve always carried the potential to use the silver power within you, even before becoming the Yellow Ninja,” he explained. “Not even the Overlord could take it from you. Even if you are unable to use it anymore, I don’t believe that means you’ve lost it for good.”

“So...maybe it’s just...locked itself away?” I guessed, staring down at my hands again. Did I still have the power, even though I couldn’t wield it anymore? Or was it simply gone forever, and this was all just wishful thinking? “Will I ever be able to use it again?”

“Only time will tell,” Sensei told me, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. “Do not fret about it, Aurora. I believe that you’ll be able to wield the silver power again someday, when the time is right. For now, focus on the present.”

I nodded, smiling at him and planning to keep his wisdom in mind. “Okay. Thanks, Sensei.”

. . .

Lloyd and I wasted no time in following Sensei Wu’s advice, making plans to go talk to our wayward teammates. Lloyd would talk to Jay, I would talk to Cole, and then we’d both regroup to talk to Kai together since, you know, he was a bit of a hothead.

I made my way out to Blackwood Forest, where I knew Cole was helping out nowadays, aiding the lumber workers in clearing trees. It didn’t take me long to find where they were working; I could hear the sound of trees falling from half a mile away. Once I came across the group of lumber workers, I hid behind a tree, searching for Cole amongst the men. I spotted him up in a tree near mine, hacking away at a large limb with an axe. He wore a beanie and a vest, obviously trying to blend in.

I snuck over to his tree, avoiding attention. Scaling the trunk out of Cole’s line of sight, I climbed up to a branch above his. Wrapping my legs around the branch so I couldn’t fall, I let myself fall backward and hang down, facing the back of an upside-down Cole. He hadn’t even noticed me, too busy trying to chop off the branch.

“Working hard, mister?” I asked him.

Cole jumped a tiny bit, whirling around to face me. I giggled as he sighed in relief. “Oh, hey, Aurora,” he greeted halfheartedly, giving me a small smile.

“Hi, Cole,” I greeted in a more cheerful tone. I let go of the branch with my legs, landing on another branch beneath me that was at Cole’s level. I pulled down my mask, letting him see my warm smile. I’d missed him.

“It’s good to see you,” Cole told me. “How are things with you and Lloyd? Is he treating you well?”

I snorted in amusement. “You say that like he would ever treat me wrong,” I replied.

“Hey, can’t blame a guy for looking out for his sister,” he defended, hacking away at the branch again. “Even though we aren’t, you know, actually related…”

I smiled, touched by his words and big brother tendencies. “Family is more than blood, Cole,” I reminded him. “The six… The five of us know that better than anyone.”

His smile slowly vanished. “The five of us, huh?”

My smile went away, too, as we transitioned to the sore topic. “The team needs you now more than ever.”

Cole sighed. “I thought I was good with a scythe. Turns out, I’m even better with an axe.” He whacked the branch one more time before turning his full attention to me. “I’m tired of fighting, Aurora. Tired of Serpentine, tired of Nindroids, tired of...Jay.” He didn’t say the name spitefully, but more...sadly. “Out here, no one knows who you are. No one expects anything of you.”

“But what would Zane expect?” I asked him. “You’re the Master of Earth, Cole---you don’t belong in trees! Your feet should be on the ground! You can’t hide who you are.”

Cole shook his head. “Sorry, sis. This is my life now.”

Before I could argue with him further, there was a commotion on the ground. A worker stood atop a tall pile of massive tree trunks, and he was shouting hysterically as the pile toppled beneath him.

“Oh, oh, cracked stem!” he yelled. “She’s falling hard!”

The tall pile of heavy logs crumbled, falling off the truck and rolling toward the group of workers below. I gasped, ready to leap into action to save them from getting squished---but Cole beat me to it. He tossed the axe aside, leapt off the branch, and landed in front of the logs. He slammed his fist into the ground, creating a rock wall between the workers and the rolling logs.

As the workers applauded and cheered for him, I smiled. “There’s the Cole I know,” I muttered to myself. Perhaps he had just proved my point for me.

Cole walked away from the attention as soon as he could, picking up his bag and heading back toward the city. He passed beneath the tree I was on, and I said one last thing to him before I left. 

“If you change your mind, Cole, you know where I’ll be,” I told him, pulling my mask back up and throwing down a smoke pellet, vanishing into the depths of the forest.

_Hope to see you again soon_ , I thought.

. . .

I met back up with Lloyd as evening turned to night, finding him waiting for me outside Yang Tavern. After exchanging a brief greeting kiss, we exchanged stories. Turns out he’d had just as much luck with Jay as I’d had with Cole. It was all up to them now, and I really hoped they’d make the right decision.

We ventured inside the tavern, finding it just as noisy and crowded as I expected it to be. Rough characters were gathered around a fighting pit in the center of the room, and there were even a few Serpentine and Skeletons there, much to my surprise. Lloyd and I discreetly made our way upstairs where there were less people and where we could still clearly see the pit.

A Hypnobrai stood in the center of said pit. “Welcome to the Yang Slither Pits Final,” he announced. “In the left corner, we have Kai, the Flaming Shogun!”

On one side of the room stood Kai, leaning against a pillar and wearing a ridiculous costume. He struck a pose as he was introduced, and I snickered at him a little bit.

“And in the right corner, we have Kruncha!”

On the other side of the pit were two Skeletons, one in the ring and another spinning his head around. They looked vaguely familiar from the time Lloyd’s father attacked the Serpentine with the Skeleton army, but maybe I was just imagining things.

The crowd cheered as the bell dinged and the fight began, clearly loving the entertainment. With a cry of “Ninja, go!” Kai immediately did Spinjitzu, charging at the Skeleton and dismantling him in less than a second. The poor Skeleton cried out in terror as his limbs flew everywhere, Kai stopping next to where his head had landed.

“Didn’t your mama ever warn you not to play with me?” Kai asked in a threatening tone.

“No…” the Skeleton’s head groaned in defeat.

The bell dinged again, signaling the end of the fighting match. The Hypnobrai walked over to Kai, holding his arm up in the air. “Victor of the Slither Pit and undefeated champion...Kai, the Flaming Shogun!”

“The _Red_ Shogun,” Kai corrected. “Red Shogun!” He kicked Kruncha’s disembodied head in frustration as he stomped out of the pit, heading for the bar.

Lloyd and I exchanged looks, shaking our heads. Seeing a chance to talk to Kai, we headed back downstairs to the first floor. Kai stood at the bar, loudly slurping some juice through a straw. Lloyd and I both snuck over to him so he wouldn’t hear us coming. It wasn’t like he was paying attention, anyway; he seemed to be staring off into space.

“You shouldn’t drink too much juice,” Lloyd advised Kai, popping up on his left side. “It’s filled with more sugar than you realize.”

“Trust us,” I added before popping up on Kai’s other side, smirking. “We learned that the hard way.”

Kai’s mild surprise turned into a bored sigh. “Oh, it’s you two…”

I scoffed, folding my arms over my chest. “And hello to you, too, Kai!”

Lloyd put a hand on Kai’s shoulder. “The team needs you now more than ever.”

“Who says the great and powerful Green and Yellow Ninjas need a team?” Kai asked us. “You two seem to be holding down the fort on your own.”

“But we miss you,” I informed him, frowning.

“We get it, Kai,” Lloyd stated. “You’ve run out of bad guys to fight out there---you’ve gotta come to a place like this. But where’s the honor in that? Where’s the Master of Fire?”

Kai growled. “It’s the Red Shogun now. And where’s the Master of Ice, huh?” he countered. “He’s gone, but I’m still here. Who cares about honor? It should’ve been me. I should’ve been the one---”

“No, Kai!” I exclaimed, cutting him off. “Don’t say that. You feel like it should’ve been you who sacrificed himself, but it wasn’t. You feel guilty for that, but you shouldn’t. Zane was the one to save us, and trust me, there’s no sense in wanting to change what’s already been done.” I sighed, looking down for a second as I remembered that fateful day, and how incredibly guilty I’d felt. “Even though it’s tough not to.”

“You always thought you should’ve been the one,” Lloyd added, frowning at Kai. “First, it was being the Green Ninja or the Yellow Ninja, now this. When are you gonna start thinking of someone other than yourself?”

Kai hung his head, looking sad and just the slightest bit ashamed. Lloyd and I vanished before he could look up again, but Lloyd told him one last thing before we left.

“If you change your mind, you know where we'll be.”

. . .

We’d talked with Jay, Cole, and Kai, planting our seeds of hope and encouragement. Now, it was up to them if they came back to the team or not, and I desperately hoped that they would. We needed to become a team again; Zane wouldn’t have wanted us to break apart.

The next evening, Lloyd and I told the three of them to meet us at Chen’s Noodle House in Ninjago City. The thing was, none of them knew that the other two would be coming. If Jay knew that Cole would be there and vice versa, they wouldn’t want to come. This way, we could get them all in one place with as little trouble as possible, and we could all finally talk as a group.

Lloyd and I arrived at the restaurant before the designated meeting time, still dressed in our ninja gis. We sat at a booth in the middle of the room next to the conveyor belt of food, squeezing into one side and leaving the other side unoccupied for the others. The noodle paraphernalia on the conveyor belt looked delicious and made my stomach growl, but we agreed that we wouldn’t eat until we were done talking with the others. After all, if any of them finished eating before we were done talking, they could use it as an excuse to leave early. We weren’t having it.

As we waited for the others to start arriving, I leaned on Lloyd’s shoulder, trying not to gaze at the colorful food passing us by. He had his arm around me, making me feel safe and comfortable. We chatted and went over our discussion points while diligently watching the door for our friends.

“They’re not gonna like your idea,” I told Lloyd. He was thinking of looking for somebody new to add to our ninja team. I didn’t totally agree with the idea--and I knew the others would hate it--but I did understand his reasoning behind it.

Lloyd sighed. “I know, but…I really think it’s for the best.”

A minute early, Jay walked through the door, wearing casual clothes. I sat up, smiling at the sight of him while Lloyd waved him over. As he neared our table, I hopped out of my seat, grabbing him in a hug.

“Jay!” I exclaimed happily. “You came!”

Jay chuckled at my enthusiasm, returning my embrace. “Yeah, I did. It’s great to see you again, Aurora.” After I pulled away, I reclaimed my seat next to Lloyd while Jay slid into the seat in front of us. He fixed us both with a playful smirk. “Awww. Look at you two, all cute and cozy and together.”

Lloyd and I both blushed in embarrassment, averting our gazes. Even though we’d been together for a while, we were still a bit shy about all the romantic stuff when we were around others. “Jay…” I admonished.

“Hey, it’s your fault for being an adorable couple,” the lightning ninja replied. “I have to tease you. How can I not?” His gaze went to the noodles passing us by, rubbing his hands together in eager anticipation. “Alright, let’s chow down!”

I reached over to stop his advance. “Hang on a moment,” I told him. “We need to wait for…”

As I spoke, the door to the restaurant swung open. Cole walked inside, right on time, looking around for us.

“Oh boy, here he comes,” I mumbled, growing nervous for the impending clash of testosterone. I grabbed Cole’s attention, waving him over and smiling in greeting.

Cole smiled in return. When he was only a few feet away from the table, he spotted Jay, halting in his tracks as his smile vanished. “Wait. Why is he here?”

Jay whirled around in his seat at the sound of Cole’s voice. He gasped at him, pointing at him accusingly. “You?! Who invited you?!”

I cringed, leaning my head on my hand tiredly. _Here we go again…_

“I could ask you the same thing,” Cole grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.

Jay glared at Cole. “Well, _I’m_ here to talk with---!” He stopped abruptly, gasping in realization and turning to me and Lloyd in shock. “You two set us up?!”

“Duh,” I muttered.

“You left us no choice,” Lloyd defended. “This has gone on long enough, guys.”

“Easy for you to say!” Jay exclaimed. “You weren’t there when I was betrayed!”

Cole closed the rest of the distance between him and the table. “Keep it down, Jay. You don’t have to shout.”

“What, am I causing a scene?” Jay retorted, standing up to get in Cole’s face.

“Yes! You always cause a scene!” Cole replied angrily. “You always overreact over every little thing that doesn’t go your way!”

“At least I’m not a girl-stealer!”

“How many times do I have to tell you---”

“STOP IT!”

Cole and Jay both immediately fell silent at my outburst, their angry looks replaced with surprise. I clenched my fists as they both turned to me, my frustration clearly displayed. I’d had more than enough of their fighting, and I decided to tell them as much.

“I am _sick_ of you two being at each other’s throats all the time!” I exclaimed, not too loudly, but firmly enough to intimidate them. “Both of you are acting like children---and that’s coming from someone younger than you! Back when we first met, you two were the best of friends. What happened to that? I understand that a lot’s happened since then, but you’ve _both_ made mistakes that made the other upset. I’m not expecting you to exchange apologies right now, but the two of you need to quit arguing and at least try to be civilized with each other. Okay?”

The two boys glanced at each other briefly, then looked away. It looked like they were almost ashamed. “Fine,” they both gumbled, climbing into the booth seat across from us. They both sat as far away from each other as possible, but at least they were sitting in the same room together. 

“Thank you,” I huffed, leaning back into the seat tiredly. Hopefully, this would mark the beginning of the road to them becoming friends again. Honestly, I didn’t think that they’d ever really stopped being friends; they just needed to realize that. I glanced at Lloyd, finding him giving me a startled look. I turned to him with a confused, “What?”

Lloyd chuckled. “You weren’t kidding when you said you were gonna smack some sense into them,” he said.

His words made me smile. I had, indeed, verbally smacked them. “I find your lack of faith disturbing.”

“I won’t doubt you again,” Lloyd vowed, holding up his hands. “I promise!”

Across from us, Cole sighed, his attention turning to the noodles on the conveyor belt. “You runts are lucky you chose this place to meet,” he stated. “If I didn’t love Chen’s noodles so much, I would’ve left by now.”

He began to reach for a bowl, but Lloyd stopped him. “Not yet.”

Cole groaned loudly. “Why?” he whined.

“We have to wait for Kai,” I explained.

“You roped Kai into this, too?” Jay asked, still a little exasperated. “Why am I not surprised?”

The four of us waited for Kai to arrive, an awkward silence descending over the table. Cole fidgeted impatiently, watching the food go by longingly. Jay glared at the floor, facing away from Cole. It really made me miss the large family dinners we used to have on the Destiny’s Bounty, where everyone was talking and laughing and having a great time in each other’s company. Why did things have to change?

Finally, Kai walked into the restaurant. Thankfully, he was dressed in normal clothes, and not his ridiculous Red Shogun costume.

Lloyd lifted himself off the seat, waving him over. “Kai! Back here.”

Kai wandered back to where our table was. As he walked up, he spotted Cole and Jay, looking mildly surprised. “Jay? Cole?”

Cole spared a moment from gazing longingly at the noodles to look at Kai. “Yep.”

“The runts tricked us all,” Jay grumbled. He stood up, gesturing for Kai to sit down so that he’d be between him and Cole.

“Hey, we’re not runts,” I protested, trying to make light of the situation. “We’re fun-sized!”

Kai begrudgingly sat down, Jay plopping back down on his other side. The fire ninja reached for a plate of sushi passing us by, but Lloyd lightly swatted his hand away.

“We talk first, then eat,” he stated in a tone that left no room for arguments.

Cole groaned. “Ugh. Trust me, do you know what kind of restraint I’ve had to have staring at all of this noodle goodness?” he told Kai. “You’re late.”

Kai sighed, turning to me and Lloyd. “Make it quick.”

Lloyd and I exchanged a look, nodding to each other. It was time to get our team back.

“We know without Zane things have been different, but we have to move on,” I told them in a gentle tone. “I know that’s hard to do, but we can’t stop living our lives because of it. He would’ve wanted us to keep being ninjas, to keep protecting Ninjago.”

Lloyd then spoke up. “The reason we brought you all here is because...maybe we should add someone new to our team.”

And the protests commenced.

“A new ninja?” Kai echoed incredulously.

“Are you crazy?” Jay yelled.

“Come on! Zane’s irreplaceable!” Cole exclaimed.

“We know that!” I assured them, making a “chill out” gesture with my hands. “Nobody could _ever_ replace Zane---but that’s not what he’s suggesting.”

Lloyd nodded in agreement. “I cared for him, too,” he told them, a crestfallen look in his eyes, “but now it’s time to care about this team.”

“Maybe without Zane, there is no team,” Kai muttered, crossing his arms and looking away.

A silence descended upon the table, and it wasn’t a comfortable one. My gaze went down to my lap as I grew depressed. Maybe Zane’s death had split us apart more than I’d thought; the guys didn’t really seem to have any interest in being a team again. Not without Zane, that is. If only he were still here…

Would it have still been like this, if I had given my life to defeat the Overlord instead?

The doors were loudly banged open, jolting me from my thoughts. I looked over to see that three unpleasant-looking men had walked into the restaurant. Each of them was heavily tattooed on their faces and arms. The guy that seemed to be their leader had a giant mohawk, and wore a necklace with a snake fang hanging from it. They screamed bad news. The boys all turned to look at them, too.

“Oh,” Jay whimpered. “Don’t look now, but we’ve got trouble.”

Mohawk guy shoved a customer away from the counter so he could corner the owner behind it. He pulled off his sunglasses, revealing a glass eyeball in one of his eye sockets. He and his goons cornered the poor old man, forcing him to open up his cash register so they could take the money inside. Once that was done, mohawk guy picked the old man up and tossed him onto the food conveyor belt, holding him down and laughing. The line of food was disrupted as a result.

“Alright, _now_ they’re our problem,” Cole stated angrily as the noodles quit appearing.

The five of us quickly got up from our seats and walked over to the goons, who were still laughing obnoxiously. Cole was in the lead, wielding a pair of chopsticks. Nobody messed with his food, that was for sure.

I whistled to get their attention. “Hey! Uglies!”

The three thugs stopped laughing, turning to look at the five of us.

I snickered, nudging Lloyd. “I can't believe they actually responded to that.”

“Excuse me,” Cole said in a fake pleasant tone, “it’s not polite to touch someone else’s food.”

“I’d listen to him, if I were you,” Kai advised. “He’s no fun to be around when he’s hangry.”

The mohawk guy growled, stomping over to Cole. He tried throwing a punch at his face, but Cole swiftly caught his fist between his chopsticks. Mohawk guy wrenched his fist away, and Cole clicked the chopsticks together tauntingly. Mohawk guy tried kicking him next, but once again, Cole stopped the attack only using his chopsticks. I made a mental note to ask him to teach me to fight with chopsticks sometime.

Meanwhile, Kai leapt onto the conveyor belt, daring the two other goons to attack him. One of them hit a switch that made the conveyor belt move faster. Kai kicked the incoming bowls and plates at them.

“Alright, I admit it,” he said. “We make a good team.”

Lloyd and I exchanged a hopeful look.

Cole was still fighting the mohawk guy in Kai’s line of fire behind the goons. Some of the food flew over his head, and he grabbed pieces of it with his chopsticks as he fought, eating to his heart’s content as he dodged the thug’s pathetic attacks.

“Yeah! Mmm!” Cole hummed. “Everything’s better on a full stomach.”

That was when mohawk guy punched one of the incoming plates, making it shatter to pieces and spill its contents onto the floor.

“Hey!” Cole exclaimed angrily. “I was gonna eat that!”

He grabbed the mohawk guy and tossed him onto the conveyor belt, his face landing in a bowl of noodles. Kai kicked the two other goons down easily, making them tumble and fall onto their leader. Kai hopped onto them, then flipped over the table to land back where the rest of us were, smirking.

I offered both him and Cole high-fives. “Nicely done!” I praised.

“How can you walk away from this?” Lloyd asked them.

I looked back at where the thugs were, seeing that they were heaving themselves off the conveyor belt. They scurried toward a back door, throwing it open and rushing outside.

“Hey!” Jay shouted.

“Let’s get ‘em, guys!” Cole exclaimed confidently.

The five of us ran after them. We burst out of the doors and into the back alley, ready for a fight. But the thugs were nowhere to be seen; they’d vanished into thin air.

“Oh, where did they go?” Kai wondered.

The area was empty, except for a few crates and trash bins. But on the other wall, there sat a small, ornate table---very out of place in a back alley. Twin candles burned on top of the table, a plate of something sitting between them. A piece of paper hung on the wall, a picture and writing scribbled on it. The five of us exchanged confused looks, then went over to check it out.

“What’s this?” Lloyd wondered aloud.

I looked around our dark surroundings, half expecting those thugs to jump out at any moment. “Definitely not sketchy at all…”

On the plate sat five fortune cookies. And on the paper hanging above it, there was a drawing of a familiar face. Zane’s smiling face.

I gasped at the sight of it. “What…?”

“It’s Zane,” Kai said, his tone full of shock.

“What does it say?” Cole asked.

Lloyd squeezed between them and snatched the paper off the wall. After a moment, he smiled, and reported, “It says...he’s alive.”

Everyone gasped, exchanging confused and hopeful looks.

“But...how?” I whispered, trying to make sense of it all. How could Zane still be alive after what had happened to him? I so, so desperately wanted it to be true, and for him to be with us again. This note told us that he was indeed alive, but...it seemed too good to be true.

“I don’t think those thugs were delivering a message to the noodle house,” Kai pointed out. “I think they were delivering a message to us.”

Jay peered over Lloyd’s shoulder. “What do you mean it says ‘he’s alive?!’”

“Hey, I’m just telling you what it says,” Lloyd replied, still staring down at the paper.

“Why would those thugs lead us here?” Kai asked.

Cole frowned. “You know, this has to be some cruel joke. And I’m not laughing.”

I still wasn’t sure what to think. I didn’t think anyone else did, either, for that matter. My gaze went back to the table, spotting the fortune cookies sitting atop it. I pointed at them. “What about those?”

Lloyd hummed. “I think they were meant for us, too.”

“Fortune cookies?” Jay asked, picking one up to study it. “Very peculiar.”

Lloyd looked at me and Kai. “Should we?” he asked.

Not waiting for an answer, Cole snatched a cookie off the plate and immediately shoved the whole thing into his mouth, devouring it in one bite.

My mouth dropped open. “Cole!” I admonished.

“Uh, you do realize there’s a fortune inside, right?” Kai asked him, grabbing a cookie and breaking it open. A white strip of paper poked out of the inside.

Cole swallowed the cookie, then smiled. “Oh, so _that’s_ why they’re called that,” he mused, not seeming the least bit disturbed.

I snickered, elbowing him. “Thinking with your stomach, as usual.”

“Hey, it’s the best way to think!” Cole replied, reaching over to ruffle my hair. I swatted him away, laughing.

Lloyd and I both grabbed the last fortune cookies off the plate. Lloyd broke his open first, finding the long strip of paper inside. “Listen to this,” he announced, reading the fortune aloud. “‘Master Chen has personally invited you to participate in his Tournament of Elements.’”

“Wait a minute,” Cole interjected. “Are you saying that Mr. Chen, the same guy filling my belly with delicious goodness, is actually _Master_ Chen?!”

I looked down at the strip of paper that I’d pulled out of my fortune cookie, frowning as I read onward. “‘Secrecy is of the utmost importance. Tell no one, or suffer the consequences.’”

Jay read the last part. “‘If you ever want to see your friend again, meet on the pier at midnight, and leave your weapons behind.”

The five of us exchanged uneasy looks. This was too cryptic and sketchy for our taste.

Suddenly, the paper in Jay’s hand exploded in a small puff of smoke. Then Kai’s, then Lloyd’s, and then mine. We then all turned to Cole expectantly, giving him worried looks. He jumped and yelled as the fortune exploded inside his stomach. It made me flinch.

When he landed, he burped loudly and sighed in relief. “At least I know I was invited,” he said with a grin.

Everyone laughed at his humor. In that moment, it was as if nothing had changed between us, and we were like a team again, laughing at the stupidest things. When the laughter died down, our moods grew serious once more.

“You don’t think…?” Lloyd inquired.

“It could be a trap,” Kai pointed out. “A lie to lure us in.”

“Yeah, but what if it’s not?” Jay exclaimed hopefully. “What if Zane’s alive?!”

“He may be out there somewhere, waiting for us,” I mused, growing hopeful. “It could be a lie, but...there’s only one way to find out.” If Zane was indeed alive, then I wanted to do whatever I could to get him back.

Lloyd looked back down at the paper with Zane’s smiling face on it. “The Tournament of Elements… I’m starting to think this Master Chen makes more than noodles.”

“You can forget bringing in a new ninja, Lloyd,” Kai told him. “Let’s go see about an old one.”

. . .

As evening turned to night, we all diverged to gather everything we needed before leaving. I followed Lloyd back to his father’s monastery, seeing as how nearly everything I owned was there. We only had a few hours until midnight struck, so Lloyd and I wasted no time in going to our separate rooms and packing what we needed. I didn’t have very much in the first place, so it didn’t take long for me to pack. I grabbed a yellow backpack that I’d been given by Kai a while back, stuffing the essentials into it: extra clothes just in case, toiletries, a group picture we’d all taken together with Zane in it, a piece of candy or two, and a few snacks. I was already wearing my ninja gi, so that was pretty much all I needed. I gazed at the katana and pile of shurikens sitting in one corner of the room, wishing that we were allowed to bring weapons. Well, on the other hand, it was a tournament of elements, not weapons.

Zipping up my backpack, I slung it over one shoulder and opened my door, making my way over to Lloyd’s room. He was still busy packing, letting the radio play while he packed. 

A familiar song played through the speakers, making me smile as I walked into Lloyd’s room. “Ooo, I love this song,” I commented, dancing around to the beat a little.

Lloyd turned around at the sound of my voice, grinning. “You know what would be cool? If you recorded that theme song that you wrote for our team and sent it to the station. They’d love it.”

I chuckled at the suggestion. “Come on. I’m glad you think my song’s cool, but I’m not _that_ good a singer.”

“Yes you are!” he argued, still smiling. “And I’ll keep saying so until I’m hoarse.”

My heart fluttered at his words. I walked over to him, pecking him on the lips. “You’re lucky you’re so sweet.”

I helped him finish packing his things, reminding him that we couldn’t take any weapons. As soon as he was done, there was a knocking on his door. It slid open to reveal Sensei Garmadon, who poked his head inside.

“I was just on my way to help Nya and Wu restore the Bounty,” he informed us with a smile. “Would you two like to join? Guess you could say it’s all hands on deck.”

I chuckled at his joke. “Sounds fun. Normally, we would love to, but uh…”

“The guys and us are going fishing,” Lloyd finished for me. Apparently, he’d already had an excuse ready. “Team-building exercise.”

His father hummed. “Good to hear the team’s back together.” He turned to leave, but then Lloyd stopped him.

“Dad?” he asked. “Our elemental power… Are there others out there with powers like us?”

Garmadon’s smile slowly vanished. “Why would you ask?”

“No reason,” Lloyd quickly told him, shaking his head. “It was just on my mind.”

Garmadon said nothing, but there was a look in his eyes that I couldn’t quite explain. I decided to say nothing, not wanting to make Lloyd’s father suspicious. Well, any more suspicious. On the other hand, there couldn’t be any way he knew what we were up to...right?

Lloyd grabbed his bag off of his bed, walking over to the door. I followed him.

“See ya,” he told his father. “Early bird catches the worm.”

I shot Garmadon a smile as I followed Lloyd out, waving. “Bye, Mr. Garmadon!”

Lloyd and I quickly exited the monastery, leaving before his father could ask us anything or stop us. We started heading for the pier to meet up with the others.

“Did he seem a little suspicious to you?” Lloyd asked me once we were outside.

“Oh yeah,” I confirmed, nodding. “Wonder what that was about.”

“He avoided my question, so something’s definitely up.” Lloyd shrugged. “I’ll ask him about it once we get back.”

I nodded again. After a few steps, I realized something, and I gasped.

“What?” Lloyd asked.

“Uh, well… We might wanna pick up the pace a little,” I told him, walking a little faster. “We left the fishing rods behind.”

Lloyd facepalmed. “Oh great…”

The two of us made our way to the city and then to the pier. The closer we got, the more I acknowledged my small sense of dread. I didn’t know why that was, but it must’ve been something trying to warn me. Plus, a light layer of fog decided to roll in from the sea, making the night ominous and a bit creepy. Something was probably trying to tell me that this was a bad idea, but what choice did we have? Zane needed us.

Lloyd and I arrived at the designated pier, walking onto the wooden dock that stretched out into the ocean off the coast of Ninjago City. A large group of people were already waiting at the other end, and I could make out Kai, Jay, and Cole among them. It was definitely a collection of colorful characters; each of them were very unique in their own special way, from their clothing to their hair to their outward expressions.

“Other elemental masters?” I whispered to Lloyd as we approached them.

“Could be,” Lloyd replied at the same volume. “Keep your guard up; some of them look less-than-friendly.”

I nodded in agreement. “Believe me, I’ll be watching back, front, everywhere.”

Lloyd and I walked up to where our ninja teammates were gathered. Each of them was wearing an old gi from different times. Cole wore his dragon gi, Kai wore the gi he’d had when I’d first met them, and Jay was wearing his armored gi. The three of them turned to us as we walked up to them, pulling their masks off.

“The Tournament of Elements,” Kai said after a moment. “You think all of them have powers like us?”

We all looked around at the colorful characters. They mostly paid no attention to us, but glanced our way every once in a while. I tried to look for a few who I might befriend, but most of them did not look friendly.

“I’d say it’s a fair bet,” I told Kai, pulling my mask down.

Lloyd pulled down his mask, too, revealing a frown. “When I asked my dad about it, he got really suspicious. Like there’s something he’s keeping from me.”

“The fortune cookie said tell no one else or there’d be consequences,” Cole reminded him.

“Relax. We’re cool,” Lloyd assured him, smiling.

I coughed. “Fishing rods,” I muttered between fake coughs.

Lloyd nudged me. “It’ll be fine, Aurora,” he said, sounding sure of himself.

“If you say so,” I replied, sighing. How could I not be a little worried? Garmadon wasn’t stupid, and Lloyd had already been asking him about other elemental masters. He’d also obviously known more about the subject than he was letting on.

I didn’t have time to think about it further as something appeared out of the dark fog. It was a large ferry, three stories tall and decorated with glowing lanterns. A large paddlewheel sat at the back, driving the ferry to stop right at the end of the dock. It was an impressive ship, but it was also a little sketchy---just like the table in the alley. A couple of guys put down a plank for us to cross over, heavily tattooed like the thugs at the restaurant. A man stepped onto the plank, crossing over to the end of the dock. He had long dark hair that was tied back, and a mustache above his lip. To me, he screamed trouble.

Everyone that was gathered walked up to meet him, me and the other ninja bringing up the rear.

“We don’t know yet if this is a trap,” Lloyd reminded us. “Wherever they take us, we have to stick together.”

I knew that he was right. On instinct, he and I reached for each other’s hand, staying connected as we approached the ferry. Together, like we did everything else.

In the front of the group was a woman clothed in orange from head to toe. She wore a hood, pulled up over her face, and was the first one to board the boat.

“Watch your step, madam,” I heard the creepy mustache guy tell her.

She looked behind her, her gaze seemingly landing on Kai. She smiled at him, and I glanced at Kai to see him caught like a deer in headlights. A smile grew on his face, and he sighed in admiration.

I nudged him, smirking. “Oooo,” I said. “Does somebody have a crush?”

“Huh?” Kai muttered, still entranced.

Lloyd put a hand on his shoulder. “We can’t let anything distract us. You hear me, Kai?”

Kai didn’t respond for a moment, then slowly snapped out of it just enough to answer him. “Uh, yeah. Got it. Whatever you said.”

Lloyd shook his head, and I giggled, enjoying seeing Kai act this way.

Soon, it was only the five of us left on the dock. Jay was the first of us to walk up to the plank, and the mustache guy smiled at the sight of us.

“Master Chen will be charmed to see you’ve accepted his offer,” he said to Jay. “A master of Spinjitzu shall fare favorably in his tournament.”

“Hey, we’re not here to fight,” Jay informed him. “We’re here to save a friend.”

The man hummed. “Don’t be so petty, Master Jay.” He swiftly reached into Jay’s bag and pulled out a pair of nunchucks. “Everyone here has something to fight for.”

Jay smiled sheepishly. “Chopsticks,” he explained, trying to defend himself. “I’m a big eater. Heh.”

I facepalmed. _Trust Jay to try and break the rules…_

Mustache guy tossed Jay’s nunchucks into the ocean, making Jay gulp. He hurried onto the ferry, and the rest of us followed him single-file. Kai went after him, then Cole. Lloyd let go of my hand, gesturing for me to go first. I was about to step onto the plank, but a familiar voice stopped me.

“Lloyd, Aurora, wait!” 

I whirled around to see Sensei Garmadon approaching us, frowning. _Oops. Busted._ How had he known exactly where we’d be? That meant he _definitely_ knew more than he let on---but just how much did he know?

“If you get on that boat, you may never return,” he warned us ominously.

“What are you doing here, Dad?” Lloyd asked him.

I wanted to say “fishing rods” again, but it wouldn’t be helpful.

“Master Chen is a dangerous man who should never be trusted,” Garmadon told us. “Whatever he promised you, do not believe him.”

Okay, if Garmadon of all people was telling us that somebody was dangerous, then they were _really_ dangerous. Maybe that’s why I’d felt a little dread coming here; this Chen was obviously not a good man.

The mustache guy, who had been crossing the gangplank to the boat, turned around at the sound of Garmadon’s voice. “Lord Garmadon,” he greeted, apparently knowing who he was. “It’s been a while. It’s Sensei now, correct? I can’t remember.” He spoke in a disinterested tone, turning back around.

Garmadon leered at him. “Clouse. I see Master Chen still has you running his errands.”

“We have to go, Dad,” Lloyd told him. “This is about Zane. It’s about family. If we’re ever going to be whole again, we have to get on that ship.”

“Last call,” Clouse announced from the boat. “Are you in...or out?”

Lloyd and I nodded at each other, our minds made up. I stepped onto the plank and walked over, Lloyd right behind me.

“I can’t stop you, son,” Garmadon stated. “But I can join you.”

Clouse shook his head as Garmadon approached. “Sorry. No more room on the ship.”

Two tattooed thugs began pulling the gangplank back onto the ferry.

“No room?” Garmadon echoed. He leapt over, jumping off of the edge of the plank and causing both thugs to let go of it. One stood precariously at the edge of the ferry, and Garmadon kicked him over the side as he landed, arriving safely on the ferry while the thug loudly splashed into the water. I covered my mouth with a hand, trying to contain my laughter and hide my impressed grin.

Clouse hummed. “I stand corrected. There’s room now.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not here to compete,” Garmadon assured him. “Only to look out for my interests.” He placed a hand on Lloyd’s shoulder, smiling at his son.

I was honestly very relieved that he was coming along. He apparently knew a lot about what we were getting ourselves into, and would be able to give us many insights and advice. He’d probably prevent some of us from doing stupid things, I knew.

Clouse walked away, thankfully not bothering us anymore. “Let’s ship out!” he yelled.

The ferry pulled away from the pier, setting sail into the foggy night. The full moon brightly shone down upon us as we sailed toward it, chasing the ominous fog away. It made the horizon glow a bright blue, and it was actually kind of peaceful.

Our group wandered the ship together. The other elemental masters were all doing their own thing, most of them showing off their element while doing it. A muscular guy with metal fists was punching a barrel into the air over and over again. A guy wearing a turban sat cross-legged, levitating above the ground. A tall guy with a thick beard held a leafy bamboo staff, making vines grow from its tip. A man with an afro sat playing a sitar, and I could actually see small waves of sound being created as he played.

Meanwhile, Clouse was walking on the other side of the ship, flanked by three of the tattooed goons. One of those goons was the mohawk guy from the restaurant, much to my chagrin.

Lloyd turned to his father. “You know him,” he stated, referring to Clouse. “You said his name’s Clouse.”

“Don’t be fooled by his attire,” Garmadon told us in a quiet voice. “He is a master of dark arts, and Master Chen’s number two.”

“Huh,” Cole commented, smiling. “I thought Master Chen’s number two was an eggroll and fried rice.”

I snorted. “Cole, remember what I told you about thinking with your stomach?”

“Yeah? What’s your point?” he replied, seeing no problem with it.

Kai frowned at Garmadon. “Why haven’t you or Wu ever told us there are others with powers like us?”

“Because there are some things we don’t want you to know,” Garmadon explained. “You were led to believe you were special, yet you never questioned where your powers came from.”

Jay frowned. “Uh, are you implying that I’m not special?”

“Oh you’re definitely special, Jay,” I assured him with a touch of sarcasm, smirking as I patted his back. I saw Cole trying to hold in a laugh at the way I casually made fun of Jay.

“Everyone on this ship is a descendant of an original Elemental Master,” Garmadon told us.

“Elemental Master?” Lloyd echoed curiously. “Who were they?”

“They were the first Spinjitzu master’s guardians, each endowed with an elemental power that has been passed down through generations.”

Kai hummed. “If that’s true, then so is my sister, Nya,” he pointed out. “But she can’t do what I can.”

“Can’t she?” Garmadon shot back. “Power lies in all of you. It only needs to be awoken.” He turned toward the other masters meandering about the ship. “The fighters here serve no master and have managed to unlock their true potential.” He gestured to a man leaning against the side of the ship, who was...see-through? “For instance, that pale man. A distant relative of the Master of Invisibility. Watch closely, and you’ll see how he’s stayed hidden all these years.”

The pale man, or what we could see of him anyway, suddenly vanished into thin air. The boys and I dropped open our mouths in shock. I was actually kind of impressed. While we were standing there shocked, a white blur suddenly whizzed past us.

Garmadon merely smiled. “Then there’s Griffin Turner,” he told us. “Grandson to the Master of Speed.”

Griffin struck a few poses as Garmadon talked. He ran over to us at an impossible speed, going so fast that all I could see was a white blur.

“Hey! You can’t lay a hand on me,” he boasted, speaking quickly. “I’m faster than fast. Swifter than swift.”

He ran around the entire ship in the blink of an eye, coming to a stop on the second level and standing proudly. We all gazed up at him, and his gaze went down to rest on me. Before I knew it, he was gone again, and a flash of white flew by right in front me. I felt something move my hand, and looked down to see that there was suddenly a small white daisy there. I looked up in surprise, seeing that Griffin had stopped several feet away from us. He pulled down his glasses for a moment to wink at me.

Oh wow, was he... Was he flirting with me?

As I stood there blushing, I heard a quiet growl from Lloyd, who was glaring at Griffin. The Master of Speed mischievously smirked, then ran off. I couldn’t decide whether I should be flattered or not. It was also cute to see Lloyd get a little protective.

“Uh, Master of Speed?” Jay said, scoffing. “That’s not an element.”

“So asks the Master of Lightning,” Garmadon retorted with an amused smirk.

Cole laughed. “Oh snap! He got you there!”

Our group walked up to the bow of the ship, where the woman in orange was gazing out into the sea. We claimed a corner for ourselves, Jay sitting atop a crate and Kai sitting on some steps. Cole sat on the ground, and Lloyd and I leaned against the wall next to each other.

“And, uh, who’s she?” Kai asked Garmadon, smiling in admiration at her again.

“I don’t know,” Garmadon admitted. “Most of these people I have not seen. But they will be gunning for you. You are ninja. You serve with honor. Here, that means very little.”

I made a mental note to keep that in mind. Our opponents would not be above cheating or using dirty moves. Perhaps I wouldn’t be able to make friends after all.

The muscular guy with metal hands walked over to the hooded woman. He tapped her on the shoulder, and when she didn’t respond, he grabbed her arm. She tried to pull her arm away, but his grip was like iron.

“Well, maybe honor means something to me,” Kai stated. He walked over to them, intent on saving the girl he was obviously crushing on. I didn’t think it was such a good idea, but I did also admire his nobility. It would be entertaining, if nothing else.

The hooded woman turned to Kai as he approached. “It’s okay. I can handle myself.”

“This none of his business,” the metal-handed guy grumbled. “Karlof cold. Karlof just want her cloak.”

Kai put his hands on his hips. “You look like you got big enough mittens,” he pointed out. “Why not leave the gal alone?”

“These not mittens,” Karlof growled. “These crush ninja.”

Kai chuckled. “I’d like to see you try.”

“Save it for the tournament, Kai,” Garmadon tried to warn him. I knew it would be for naught.

“Don’t think Karlof afraid of you,” Karlof said, continuing to talk in third person.

Kai shook his head. “No, you don’t think much at all, do you?”

Karlof responded by grabbing Kai by the front of his gi, lifting him into the air. Kai cried out in surprise, struggling to free himself.

“Just jump in whenever you feel like it!” Kai yelled over at us.

Karlof got in Kai’s face. “You say Karlof not smart?”

Lloyd got off the wall, walking over to stand next to his father. “I’d say Karlof is plenty smart not to start something he can’t finish,” he warned.

I joined him. “You mess with one of us, you mess with all of us.”

Karlof set Kai down. I thought that he was actually heeding our warnings, but he then punched Kai hard, sending him flying. “Oopsie,” he said, smirking. “Guess Karlof not smart.”

“Alright, that’s it,” I grumbled, stepping forward with the others. It had been amusing at first, but now it was turning into a real fight.

Garmadon leapt in front of us, stopping us from intervening. “Kai started this. He can finish it.”

Well, he did have a point. Kai did poke the bear.

Kai leapt to his feet, leering at Karlof. The two glared at each other for a few long moments. Then, Kai cried “Fire!” as he engulfed his fists in flames. He flipped and shot balls of fire at Karlof, who blocked them with his metal hands. Karlof punched his fists together, causing his whole body to turn to steel, making Kai gasp. Karlof ran at Kai, swinging his large metal fists as he tried to hit Kai. The fire ninja dodged the attacks at first, flipping out of Karlof’s way, who was surprisingly fast. At one point, Kai wasn’t quick enough, and got whacked into a wall. The rest of us peered around the corner, nervously watching the fight.

Karlof punched Kai again, sending him flying up onto the roof. He leapt up there after him, Kai barely able to roll out of the way in time. The two of them fought, exchanging blows. Kai was backed up to the edge; he looked down behind him and smirked. Karloff leapt at him, and Kai stepped aside, causing Karlof to fall off the edge.

Kai chuckled, walking away smugly, when a metal fist burst through the roof, grabbing his foot. It yanked him down, pulling him through the hole. We all scurried over to the hole, peering down to watch them continue fighting. After exchanging more blows, Kai kicked Karloff away and summoned his fire again, causing us all to smile. Kai used his fire to punch Karlof multiple times, eventually uppercutting him and sending him flying over to the paddlewheel powering the ferry. The two of them fought furiously on the moving wheel, and I was on the edge of my seat. Karlof whacked Kai away onto the deck, making him fall on his back, winded. Karlof landed above him, laughing and raising his fist for a finishing blow. I was about to leap in and stop him, but I never got the chance.

“Enough!” Clouse shouted, ending the fight.

Karlof returned to normal, then walked away. I saw the hooded woman walk over to Kai, helping him to his feet. Kai smiled at her as she said a few words to him then walked away. The boy was obviously smitten.

I nudged Lloyd. “I ship it.”

Lloyd smiled, shaking his head. “How did I know you were gonna say that?”

“Because you know me so well,” I informed him with a smile, grabbing his hand again.

The two of us walked over with the others to join Garmadon at the bow of the ship. He was gazing at the silhouette of an island that was coming into view, shadowed by the early light of dawn.

“We’re here,” Clouse announced ominously. “Welcome to Chen’s Island.”

I looked out at the island, still holding Lloyd’s hand. It was a huge island with a few tall rock formations and a vast jungle. It was an impressive island and kind of beautiful---but there was something offsetting about it.

Garmadon sighed. “I swore to never return…”

“You know, you should never swear,” Jay told him. “It’s a sign of weak verbal skills.”

I shook my head at him, holding in a comment.

Lloyd put his free hand on the rope railing. “If Zane’s on that island, we’ll find him,” he vowed. “We have to.”

I nodded, squeezing his hand. “You better believe we will.”


	3. Episode 38: Only One Can Remain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Tournament of Elements begins---and there can only be one winner left standing.
> 
> But what happens to the losers?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another fat, long chapter for my lovely readers! Now the tournament can finally begin.
> 
> Kick back and enjoy! This chapter was fun to write!  
> \--------------------

The large, ominous island slowly came into view as the ferry drew closer and closer to it. The sun was beginning to rise next to the island as we sailed toward a structure sitting on the edge of a forest. It was a massive palace, more ornate and grand than any I’d ever seen. Tall stone walls sat on either side of the gate, and mountains lined the two adjacent sides. I could see tall buildings peeking out from behind the walls. The place was actually pretty impressive, I had to admit.

“Look at that,” Cole said.

“Awesome,” Kai muttered in awe.

Karlof walked up behind Kai. “Let me see!” he demanded, shoving him aside.

Kai whirled around. “Do you mind?!”

He and Karlof raised their fists, looking like they were about to fight again. Before they could, however, the ferry pulled up to the dock beyond the front gates. Our attention was on the palace again as the ship turned to stop alongside the entrance. Everyone started heading over to the area we’d boarded in, the tattooed goons laying down the gangplank.

“Welcome to Chen’s Island,” Clouse proudly announced, leading the way off the ferry. “The Tournament of Elements welcomes its brave fighters.” He turned around to see Garmadon walking after him, his smile vanishing. “Master Chen will be pleased you’ve returned, _Sensei_ Garmadon.”

“The pleasure is all mine, Clouse,” Garmadon replied, in an equally fake pleasant tone.

Clouse turned back around, walking away. “I’m sure it is.”

The boys and I all disembarked from the ship and walked up behind Sensei Garmadon, who was still glaring daggers at Clouse’s back.

Jay leaned close to Garmadon. “Definitely feeling some tension between you two,” he stated.

I huffed. “How can you tell?” I muttered sarcastically. I wondered what the story was between the two of them.

“And how is it we’re on an island I’ve never seen on any map?” Kai asked in a quiet tone, leaning in on Garmadon’s other side.

Cole walked around them to stand in front of the already-crowded sensei. “And care to explain how the face to Ninjago’s most popular noodle house is secretly assembling an underground fighting tournament?”

Sensei Garmadon explained it as the other Elemental Masters disembarked the ferry, walking past our group huddle. “Master Chen used to be a friend. Now he’s a traitor. During the Serpentine Wars, Chen turned against his own kind and sided with the treacherous snakes.”

“The battle you and Uncle Wu fought together in?” Lloyd inquired. “He was an enemy?”

“How did he betray you?” I asked curiously.

“He used deception to divide the Elemental Masters,” Garmadon told us. He led the way as we followed everyone else to the front gates. “We barely defeated the Serpentine, and in a deal for surrender, Chen was to never leave this island. Little did we know, he’d begin to build his criminal empire from here.”

“He may have divided our ancestors, but he’s not gonna divide us,” Lloyd stated confidently.

I nodded in agreement. Despite being separated for a while, the five of us would always be a team. We’d only be able to find Zane if we worked together.

After walking up a few steps, Kai suddenly threw his arms out and pushed our group to the side, stopping us. I wondered what had gotten into him, but then I spotted the hooded girl that he so obviously had a crush on. She had been the only one walking behind us, mysteriously by herself at the back of the group. I briefly wondered what her story was, and what element she wielded. There was definitely something different about her. Whether it was good different or bad different, I wasn’t sure yet.

“Ladies first,” Kai stated, grinning at the woman like he was doing a great deed.

Despite his chivalrous act, the woman barely spared Kai a glance as she walked past us.

This, however, didn’t deter Kai in the least. “Fire will melt her icy heart,” he insisted. “Just wait.”

Sensei Garmadon rolled his eyes, sighing.

“So I’m not a lady, then?” I asked Kai, referring to the fact that he’d pushed me aside, too. “Is that what you think of me, Kai?”

“Aw, don’t be like that, Aurora,” the fire ninja replied, nudging me playfully.

“So that _is_ what you think of me?”

“That’s not what I---”

I held my hands up. “No no, I get it. I see how it is.” I wasn’t really offended, but I’d definitely be teasing him about it later.

Our group walked up to join the others, stopping behind them at the top of the stairs. I stuck close to the people I knew, standing next to Lloyd and his father. This whole thing was incredibly sketchy, but at least I was with a team of people I trusted, and not here all on my own.

“This is a big island,” Cole pointed out. “Zane could be anywhere. Keep an eye out.”

The gates swung open, revealing a courtyard. A wide red carpet led the way to a huge set of doors, and several hooded drummers lined either side. The were chanting indistinctly as they pounded the drums, and it was making me just a little nervous. Everyone ventured inside, following Clouse as he led us to the entrance. At one point, I noticed as I followed Sensei Garmadon, I had somehow ended up in the center of our little group, the four boys surrounding me. I wasn’t sure whether it was intentional--as if they were sharing some unspoken agreement I wasn’t aware of--or if it had just turned out that way. Either way, I felt safe.

“So this is the house that noodles built,” Jay commented as we walked. “Ha! Always wanted to go to a red carpet event.” He began strutting across the carpet, making me snicker at him.

“Chen lives like a king,” Garmadon informed us. “Here, he’s totally self-sufficient. The only way on or off this island is with his permission---which you have to earn.”

_So in other words, there’s no turning back now_. Not that I wanted to leave. I would do whatever it took to find Zane---and I had no intention of leaving this island until we did.

“You never told me about this place,” Lloyd said to his father. “How do you know so much about this island?”

Garmadon stopped, making us stop as well. He reached up to grab his robe. “Because before Chen was my enemy...he was my sensei.” He pulled down the shoulder of his robe, just enough to expose a purple tattoo on his back. I could only see the head of it, but it was definitely a snake---just like the tattoos the goons had on their faces. Now that I thought about it, the purple snake tattoos reminded me of Anacondrai.

That only made my unease grow worse.

After a short walk, we all arrived inside the palace, which was just as ornate on the inside as it was outside. Clouse led everyone into a large circular chamber, and instructed us to wait. The other masters sat around in a semicircle, the guys and I following suit. I sat between Lloyd and Cole as we anxiously waited for Chen to show up.

Lloyd turned to his father. “You never told me you had a sensei.”

“When I was your age, I...sought a darker means of guidance,” Garmadon explained, looking ashamed of himself. “He taught me to win at all costs, no matter who I hurt. It wasn’t until you and Aurora saved me that I saw the light.”

Lloyd and I both smiled at him.

Jay leaned over to the sensei. “Uh, apparently he also never taught you to have a sense of humor. Lighten up! We’re in an underground fight club! This is supposed to be fun.”

“Fun?” I echoed, raising an eyebrow. “From what I’ve heard about Chen so far, I think I’ll be too busy watching my back to have any fun.”

Before anyone could say anything else, the hum of a gong reverberated throughout the room, silencing all the chatter. An old-timey gramophone began playing dramatic music.

Clouse stepped forward. “All rise for Master Chen.”

He gestured upward, and I was surprised to see a throne descending from above. Everybody got to their feet as the throne was lowered to the ground. Once I got my first look at Master Chen, I was even more inclined to believe everything that Garmadon had said about him. He wore a strange headpiece that looked like some sort of snake skull. Draped around the headpiece was a small purple snake---whether it was fake or real, I didn’t want to know. He didn’t look too much like the face on his noodle house’s sign, either.

Chen smiled as he greeted us. “Welcome to the Tournament of Elements! Now everyone can all _die_.”

The doors slammed shut behind us, and everyone collectively gasped.

“Di-rect your attention to me!” Chen chortled after his dramatic pause, finding humor in our misunderstanding. 

I released a half-annoyed, half-relieved sigh. _Yeah, he’s definitely a little crazy._

Sensei Garmadon leaned over to me and Lloyd. “I forgot to mention he has a penchant for theatrics,” he whispered as we sat back down.

I snorted. “No kidding,” I replied at the same volume.

Chen laughed in excitement, descending the steps in front of his throne. “Never before have so many elemental fighters been under one roof! I see Master of Fire...” He pointed at Kai, who grinned. “Earth...” He pointed at Cole. “Shadow...” He gestured to a gray-skinned man who sat two people away from Cole. “Speed…” He pointed at Griffin, who smirked. Then, he turned toward me and Lloyd. “Even the prophesied Green and Yellow Saviors.”

His gaze lingered on us for a few short moments, and I grew a little uncomfortable at the attention. Chen then spotted Garmadon, turning to him. “And a former pupil has returned.” He locked eyes with Garmadon for a moment, then turned to point at the gong, which had a symbol on it. “This symbol before you is for the Anacondrai---fiercest Serpentine warrior to ever roam this land. Its creed: ‘only one can remain.’”

I immediately thought of Pythor, and how he was the only Anacondrai left in existence. He’d been all alone when Lloyd and I had opened his tomb. _Only one can remain…_ That didn’t sit right with me.

The massive gong was struck again, then parted to reveal multiple brackets behind it. From what I could see, each of us were represented on the board, already paired up for future fights.

“Good, looks like we’re each in our own bracket,” Kai observed. “We won’t have to face each other for a while.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness.” Sparring with my friends was one thing---but actually fighting them in a serious battle at a highly suspicious underground fight club? That was another matter. _What if I have to fight Lloyd?_ I thought dreadfully.

“Better find Zane before that happens,” Lloyd said.

_Right,_ I thought, calming myself. _We’re here to find Zane. Once we do that, we’re out of here._

“Behold, a Jade Blade!” Chen announced, gesturing over to Clouse. The dark-haired man opened a chest, pulling out a short ornate blade. It was light green in color, the jade shining as it caught the light. “Here, it represents life. Obtain it, move on. Allow your opponent to take it---loser! The rules are simple. Every match will be different. No two fights will be the same. Your powers will keep you in the tournament. Use it or lose it!”

Karlof, who was sitting near Chen, grumbled, “What does Karlof win?”

“Win, and stay on the island,” Chen explained. “Win it _all_ , and you’ll receive fortunes beyond your wildest dreams---and lifetime supply of Master Chen noodles!” Chen moved around the circle as he talked. “But no one is here because of noodle. You want the glory of being the greatest fighter in all of Ninjago!”

Everyone but me and the other ninja applauded and cheered, excited by the prospect of being crowned the best of the best. The five of us, however---it didn’t interest us as much (well, I knew that Cole definitely wouldn’t mind winning a lifetime supply of noodles, but that was beside the point). We were all here for Zane, not to win the tournament. But I knew that we would have to fight our hardest anyway, in order to stay on the island so we could find him.

“And what happens if they lose?” Sensei Garmadon asked as the cheering died down.

“Lose?” Chen echoed incredulously. “Who here likes to lose?”

The other elemental masters all laughed. Once again, the boys and I stayed silent. _Nice way of dodging the question_ , I noted. I took that to mean that whatever happened to the losers, it wasn’t good.

“Now please, enjoy my island,” Chen told us, walking back over to his throne. “It’s a super fun happy place. Ha ha ha! Fun time on me!”

“You’ll now each be shown to your rooms,” Clouse announced, sounding bored. He clapped his hands together, and the door next to him swung wide open. From within emerged several women, their faces painted red and white and all dressed in fancy, colorful kimonos. They walked single-file along the edge of our circle as we all stood up again.

Jay frowned. “Ah, just what this place needs,” he muttered. “Creepy clowns.”

“Not clowns,” Garmadon corrected. “Kabuki. Chen’s jesters.”

The Kabuki all stopped behind us, and each one of them grabbed one of us by the arm. I was startled, not liking this at all, but reminding myself that it was apparently their job.

“Yeah, well, whatever they are, I don’t like ‘em,” Cole grumbled.

I agreed with him, but didn’t say it aloud, not wanting to hurt the Kabuki’s feelings.

“So much for staying together,” Kai said as we were all led away.

The Kabuki escorted us all to the upper levels of the palace to where our suites resided. I exchanged an unsure look with Lloyd, who didn’t seem to like this any more than I did.

Sensei Garmadon, who was still on the ground floor, raised his voice up to us. “Always be ready,” he advised us in a loud whisper. “Never lose focus.”

“What?” I heard Kai exclaim from another floor. “What did he say?”

“I don’t know,” Jay shouted from the floor I was currently on. “Something about, uh, mucus?”

I facepalmed with my free hand. “My brothers, ladies and gentlemen,” I mumbled to myself. They really needed to listen to Sensei Garmadon, for once in their life; he clearly knew everything there was to know about Chen and his island. I wanted all the advice I could get from him.

The Kabuki escorting me pulled me along to a tall set of double doors. I saw Lloyd being led to the one next to mine, and I was relieved that he would be close by.

She finally let go of my arm, walking up to grab the door handle. “Your suite, Master Aurora,” she invited, pulling open the door with a smile and gesturing inside.

I stepped into the room, and my mouth immediately fell open at what I saw. I hadn’t been prepared for the sight of the large, luxuriously furnished room I now stood in. Its ornate design definitely matched the rest of the palace. The floor, walls, and ceiling were a polished hardwood, and the columns were lined with gold. There was a lot of yellow in the room, from yellow banners to yellow cushions on the furniture, and yellow carpets with my symbol on them. Even my bedsheets were yellow, with a few black and silver accents---and I was pleased to see that the bed was king-sized, since I loved to sprawl out as I slept. A massive flat-screen TV hung on the wall opposite the bed. The back wall was a huge screen door, probably leading to a balcony or something, with the bright glow of daylight filtering through the thick paper.

“No way,” I muttered in delighted surprise, grinning. “Amazing!” I immediately ventured further into the suite to explore it.

The Kabuki woman, still standing in the doorway, spoke up. “The lights have all been configured so that you may control the brightness of the room.”

I turned around to fix her with a baffled look. “Wait, really?” I didn’t see any light switches in the room, so what she was saying must’ve been true. Concentrating, I connected with the lights shining down from the ceiling. I’d practiced this trick before (mainly to use it for pranks), but it hadn’t always worked for me. I used my elemental power to try and make the lights dim, and to my delight, they did. The lights dimmed almost to complete darkness, and I chuckled triumphantly. I made the lights grow brighter, then dimmed them again. “That’s awesome!” I exclaimed as I let the lights return to their full brightness. “I could have a strobe light party in here.”

As the Kabuki left me to get settled in, I spotted the backpack I’d brought laying on the bed waiting for me, and I briefly wondered when it had been brought up here. Something else was laying on the bed beside it---a brand-new ninja gi! Completely surprised again, I picked it up to examine it. It had a pull-up mask like my current uniform did, but this gi was sleeveless. The material also felt lighter than the one I was currently wearing. I wasn’t really one to wear sleeveless clothes, but this gi looked too cool to not try on. Plus, it was a little humid on the island anyway; I’d be more comfortable in the newer gi.

I swiftly changed into the new ninja gi. Once I had it on, I walked over to a nearby mirror to examine myself. I smiled, admitting that I didn’t look half bad in it. I struck a few poses for fun, then laughed at my silliness.

I then took a few minutes to explore the rest of the suite. I discovered a closet full of all my favorite snacks, from healthy things like fruits to sugary piles of candy (which I, admittedly, still consumed more often than I should). Resisting the urge to eat a handful of delicious candy, I grabbed a (yellow) apple to munch on. I’d reward myself with some candy later.

After taking a bite of the apple, I paused as a thought struck me. _Wait a second. How the heck do these people know so much about me?_ They knew my favorite foods, favorite colors, and favorite things to do. They even knew that I liked to mess around with the lights in a room using my powers. _And they know my exact clothing size…_ The gi fit perfectly. Too perfectly.

I probably didn’t even want to know.

I explored the suite more, finding the bathroom to be just as amazing as the bedroom. It had a huge shower and a large bathtub, with what looked like massage jets lining the inside. The towels were a light purple. ...No, that was a lie. They were yellow just like everything else.

Afterward, I went to unpack a few items from my backpack. I pulled out the group picture I’d brought with me; it was one we’d all taken together not long after Lloyd and I had our “magical growth spurt.” It had Zane’s smiling face in it. I smiled fondly, feeling nostalgic at remembering what it was like for the entire team to be together. Even though it wasn’t really that long ago…

My gaze went to Zane. “You’re here, aren’t you? I can feel it,” I told him, as if he were actually in the room with me. “We’re gonna find you, brother. I swear it.”

Once I was done unpacking, I finished munching on the apple and ventured out to the balcony that sat beyond the sliding door. I hopped up onto the railing, sitting on it and letting my feet dangle over the three-story drop below. The sun shone brilliantly as it began its descent in the blue sky, and I happily basked in its warmth. It was different, feeling the sun’s rays on the bare skin of my arms. I liked it.

I felt at peace, sitting there underneath the sun’s light and listening to the distant sound of crashing sea waves. I didn’t know how long I sat there relaxing; all I knew was that I nearly fell off the balcony when the familiar sound of outdated gramophone music played over the PA system.

“ _Fellow fighters_ ,” the high-pitched voice of Chen announced, “ _hidden around my island are enough Jade Blades for every participant except for one. The one who returns to the palace arena empty-handed loses._ ”

Wait. We were starting the tournament already?

“ _The tournament begins...now! May the best fighter win!_ ” He laughed maniacally.

I took that as a yes.

Leaping into action, I hopped off the railing and scurried back into my room. When I spotted no Jade Blades hidden in there, I bolted from my room. As I shut the door behind me, I saw many other Elemental Masters also emerging from their rooms. Everyone spotted a Jade Blade sitting on a nearby statue at the same moment, and they all scurried for it, tripping over each other. I snorted in amusement, shaking my head at them. I headed for the stairs to find another blade; going for the obvious one wasn’t the way to go.

I spotted Cole walking very slowly down the stairs toward a Jade Blade sticking out of a vase on the second floor. I briefly wondered why he wasn’t running. Just before he reached it, Griffin zoomed past him in a flash of white, snatching the blade away as Cole was reaching for it.

I scowled. _What a jerk!_ He was super fast; he could’ve easily swiped another blade from someone who wasn’t impaired (Cole ate too many noodles, didn’t he?).

That was when I spotted something light green poking out from underneath another flight of stairs. A Jade Blade was wedged beneath the bottom step! I sprinted for it, leaping down the stairs and scurrying over to where the blade was. However, I also spotted another Elemental Master running for it, too. It was one of the other girls, the one with bright green hair and a shirt with a nuclear symbol printed on it. I wasn’t sure what her name was or what her elemental power was---but I did know that she was a bit closer to the Jade Blade than I was.

Thinking quickly, I spun myself as I ran, shouting “Ninja, go!” as I created my yellow vortex of Spinjitzu. I propelled myself forward, arriving at the stairs before the green-haired girl and swiping the Jade Blade out from underneath the bottom stair. I stopped, holding the blade triumphantly as the girl growled at me. She continued running at me, summoning what looked like clouds of poisonous gas in her hands.

_Master of Poison?_ I guessed. If speed was considered an element, I supposed poison could be, too. She went to attack, but before she could, I summoned my light in my free hand and shot a small beam of it at her chest, lightly knocking her onto her back.

“No hard feelings, right?” I asked her, backing away as she lifted her head to glare at me.

She growled at me. “This isn’t over!”

I huffed. “Whatever you say. I tried to be nice.” I turned around and scurried away. I was about to head over to the palace arena when I heard the familiar sound of Lloyd’s voice from the top floor. It sounded like he was fighting multiple people. I sprinted back upstairs, intent on helping him.

When I reached the top floor, I spotted Lloyd reaching for a Jade Blade, but the carpet had caught his foot or something. An Elemental Master with black and white hair walked toward him, ready to attack.

_Not on my watch!_ “Lloyd!” I shouted as I sprinted straight for them. “Close your eyes!”

Lloyd didn’t even have to glance in my direction; the sound of my voice was all it took for him to do as I asked. Once his eyes were closed, I screeched to a halt next to him, facing the approaching man. I let out a giant burst of extremely bright light, so intense that it blocked everything nearby from view for a moment. When it subsided, the black-and-white-haired man was clutching his eyes, crying out as he was blinded. Lloyd’s eyes snapped open then, and he smirked, knocking the man away from him as whatever had been holding his foot released him.

“It’s only temporary!” I assured the man, who was still clutching his eyes as he lay on the floor. “I promise!”

Lloyd turned to me, rewarding me with a fond and thankful smile. “I love you,” he told me.

I giggled. “I love you, too!”

“Hurry, you two!” a voice called from the floor below us. We looked down to see Garmadon, wrestling with Clouse on the floor for some reason. “You must not lose.”

Lloyd and I nodded. A few other Elemental Masters attacked us, but he and I deflected them easily. Lloyd snatched the Jade Blade from the statue it was perched on. He turned to me, then seemingly noticed that I was wearing a new gi.

“What?” I inquired when he stared for a long moment. I struck a pose, smirking. “Like what you see?”

“Uh huh,” he muttered dreamily. Then, he shook his head to snap out of it. “I-I mean, you… What I meant was… Y-You look great.” He blushed and rubbed his neck in embarrassment.

I chuckled at his adorable awkwardness. “Thanks. You don’t look so bad yourself.” He was also wearing a similar gi. I noticed that the lack of sleeves let him show off the lean muscles on his arms. I tried really hard (barely tried) not to stare at them.

We both eventually got back on task and headed for the palace arena with our Jade Blades in hand. Several people were already there by the time we arrived, handing their blades over to Clouse. He stood on a raised dais with Chen, placing the blades in the hands of a bronze Serpentine statue. I saw Jay among them, but no sign of Kai or Cole. After Lloyd and I handed in our blades, we joined Jay in the center of the room.

“Hey! You two made it!” he greeted. He then gave us both a sly smile. “Working together, I see.”

I tried not to blush at his teasing. “So what if we are?” I then changed the subject. “You got here before we did?”

Jay nodded. “Yeah. There was one right there in my room! It was super easy to get.” Something in his tone told me that he wasn’t telling us the full story. I’d ask him about it later.

The other Elemental Masters filtered in after us rather quickly. I watched the doorway with the others, waiting for Kai and Cole to walk through it. The green-haired girl walked in with a blade, much to my chagrin, and shot me a glare when we made eye contact. I gave her a bright smile in return.

Lloyd nudged me. “What’s that about?” he asked, having seen the exchange.

“I think I have a rival,” is what I told him.

A voice spoke up nearby. “You shouldn’t be worried.”

I looked over to see the cloaked girl from before, except now her hood was down. She had dark red hair that was pulled up in a ponytail. She walked over and stopped next to me.

“I saw your fight with her,” she explained. “You could take her down, easy.”

“Um,” I replied awkwardly, caught off guard by her choosing to speak to me at all. She’d been cold to Kai earlier, but now she wanted to talk? “Thank you, uh…?”

She chuckled as I awkwardly inquired her name, smiling at me. “Skylor.”

I shook her hand when she offered it, returning her smile. I felt a small tingle as I grabbed her hand, but waved it off as static shock. “I’m Aurora,” I told her happily. Finally, a chance to make a friend here! “And please, let me apologize in advance for my friend Kai. For anything stupid he’s done or will do in the days to come.”

Skylor laughed at my words. “That’s okay. He seems sweet enough.”

“You don’t know him like I do,” I warned her, only mostly teasing.

The room grew pretty full after a while. Pretty soon, nearly every hand on the statue was holding a Jade Blade. I continued to glance backward at the doorway, anxiously waiting for Kai and Cole.

“Two Jade Blades remaining,” Clouse announced.

Right after he spoke, the doors crashed open, and I was relieved to see Cole running into the room. “Wait!” he exclaimed, scurrying over to us. “I got one!”

Jay, Lloyd, and I all smiled. “Cole!” I greeted happily.

“Woo-hoo!” Jay cheered. “You made it!”

Cole frowned, looking around at the assembled masters. “Where’s Kai?”

We shrugged in response. Cole handed his blade off to Clouse, then stood by us as we waited.

“Only one Jade Blade remaining,” Chen announced, giddy with anticipation.

I looked around at the assembled masters. The only other person missing besides Kai was...Karlof. The guy that almost beat him when they’d fought.

Oh dear.

The wait was excruciating, but only lasted about five minutes. Sensei Garmadon regrouped with us at one point and waited, too. Finally, the doors swung open again, and I held my breath. Into the room walked...Karlof.

My heart sank.

“Ha ha ha!” Karlof cackled triumphantly. “Karlof wins!”

Everyone except me and my friends cheered for him. The four of us exchanged worried looks, wondering where the heck Kai was.

Just then, Karlof’s metal hand, the one that held the Jade Blade, fell right off of his hand. As he stood there confused, Kai walked around him, smirking.

“Hah,” Kai mocked, picking up the blade. “Looks like you got a screw loose.” He used his fire to propel himself across the room, flying over our heads and landing next to the statue. He slipped the Jade Blade into the last empty hand on the statue.

Everyone cheered, me and my friends the loudest of all. I was so relieved that we all had made it past the first round of the tournament. _Zane, here we come!_

“We have a loser!” Chen announced, gesturing to Karlof on the other side of the room.

I saw Karlof pouting as he screwed his metal hand back on. “That’s not fair,” he protested, pointing at Kai accusingly. “He cheated!”

Kai shrugged. “I did what I had to do.”

Garmadon gave Kai a disapproving look. “That is _not_ how you win,” he admonished.

Karlof groaned. “Fine. I lose.” He crossed his arms grumpily. “Karlof never wanted to be on stinking island.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear you did not enjoy your stay,” Chen told him, sitting on his throne as it appeared behind him. “I guess this worked out for the best. This is goodbye!”

He pushed a button on his throne’s armrest. It activated a trap door beneath Karlof’s feet, making him fall down into it. I heard him screaming as he fell through the floor.

“As you can see, lose and you are out,” Chen informed the rest of us as a goon removed Karlof’s picture from the bracket. “Break any rule, you are out. Never bite the hand that feeds you...Master Chen delicious noodles!” He smirked. “Now rest up. Tomorrow, the tournament will recommence.”

I gulped, trying not to fret about what exactly happened beyond the trap door when you lost. With what I knew of Chen so far, I didn’t think he was just going to let the losers leave. No, there was something else going on here. But what?

. . .

After the first round had concluded, a few of the Kabuki showed everyone where the cafeteria was. Everyone was all too happy to sit down and eat dinner after the day’s chaotic events. The others and I all claimed a booth in the middle of the room, talking up a storm as we had our dinner.

Cole sighed in satisfaction as we ate. “At least the chow’s good,” he praised.

“Argh!” Jay exclaimed. “It’s killing me! What’s under the trapdoor? What happens when you lose?” He’d changed into a new ninja gi that matched mine and Lloyd’s, but Cole and Kai still wore the old gis they’d arrived in.

“Don’t think about that,” Garmadon told him calmly.

“It’s _all_ I can think about!” Jay replied. “I moved on. I feel guilt. These are not good feelings.”

“You think _you_ feel bad?” Kai asked him. “Imagine how I feel. Our mission is simple: tonight, we find Zane, and get off this crazy island.”

I nodded in agreement. “Sounds good to me.” As nice as this place was, I was quickly growing tired of being on edge all the time, and having to constantly watch my back.

Cole frowned. “And just how are we supposed to do that? You heard Chen: break a rule and we’re out. He’s not gonna let us roam around.”

“Then it’s a good thing we’re ninja,” Kai stated, smirking. “Meet me in my room at midnight.”

Just then, Paleman--the invisible guy--walked up to our table with his tray of food. “You mind if I join you?” he asked in a timid voice.

I smiled at him, taking another chance to make a friend here. “Not at all---”

“Disappear, pal!” Jay yelled at him, cutting me off. “This is private!”

Paleman immediately vanished, but his tray was still visible.

Jay sighed. “I know you’re still here. I can see your lunch tray.”

Paleman reappeared, then promptly walked away.

I frowned at Jay, crossing my arms. “That was really rude, Jay.”

“How am I supposed to know if we can trust him?” Jay shot back. “See what this island is doing to me? It’s corrupting me! It has to stop! I’ll see you tonight.”

. . .

After dinner, I occupied myself with a long bath to kill time before midnight. It helped me to relax and forget about all the things I was currently worrying over. After I emerged from the water and got dressed again, I went out into the bedroom and went through a few katas. I mentally prepared myself for a fight, because something told me that there would definitely be one tonight. 

As the clock neared midnight, I stuffed a few pieces of candy into my pockets then headed for the balcony. I quietly opened the door, pulling up my mask once I was outside. I looked over the side, spotting a patrol of goons walking on the ground far below. I soon spotted Kai walking out onto his balcony, below mine to the left. Lloyd was the first to jump down onto his balcony, and I landed beside him. Cole followed soon after. The three of us quietly scurried inside.

I pulled down my mask once I was safely inside Kai’s room. I looked around, noticing that his room was a lot like mine, except red and a lot more ornate. He even had a lavafall in one corner. A lavafall! I heard Kai loudly talking to somebody on another balcony, probably trying to avert any suspicions. I plopped down on a couch next to Lloyd as we waited, and Cole sprawled out on another couch nearby. I offered Lloyd some of the candy I’d brought, which he eagerly took.

Eventually, Kai walked in with Jay. “Whoa-ho-ho-ho,” Jay exclaimed, looking around. “Nice digs.”

“I _know_ ,” Cole whined. “His room is so much nicer than mine.” He gestured to a bowl sitting on the coffee table. “Look---chocolate-covered shell peas! I love these!” He shoveled a bunch into his mouth. Then, he swiped the bowl off the table and bounced over to Kai’s bed, laughing like a little boy as he flopped down onto the bed. “Oh, and look how soft your pillows are! Man, mine are made of rock. What a crock.”

I had to laugh at his antics and complaints. Oh, how I’d missed spending time with these guys.

“Okay, it was almost impossible to get here,” Jay complained, getting back on topic as he and Kai walked over to where Lloyd and I were sitting. “This place is swarming with guards. Any ideas on how we search the island?”

“We travel by shadow,” Kai said. “Cover every square inch of this place until we find him.”

“The island’s big,” Jay pointed out. “We’ll need to split up.”

Lloyd immediately shook his head. “No, we stick together.”

“Yeah,” I agreed. “We don’t need any of us mysteriously disappearing.”

Cole, still sprawled on the bed, spoke up. “Uh, guys? This bed is...uh…” His sounded startled for some reason.

“Cole, I get it!” Kai exclaimed, annoyed. “You like my bed. Would you stop playing around?”

“I think I know how we can search the island!” Cole announced, smirking.

A minute later, all five of us were laying down on Kai’s bed. There wasn’t really enough room for the five of us to all lay side by side without touching, so I was using Lloyd’s chest as a pillow.

“Okay, I feel ridiculous,” Lloyd stated, after a long moment of nothing happening.

I snickered. “I don’t,” I told him, snuggling myself closer. “I’m comfortable.”

Jay sighed in satisfaction. “You’re right, Cole. These pillows are soft.”

Lloyd raised his head to look at Cole. “Is this a joke?”

“I must’ve done something to trigger it,” Cole explained. “I was laying here, then I stretched---”

As soon as he stretched his body, there was a click, like a switch being flipped. The next moment, the entire bed flipped over, taking us with it as we all screamed. I instinctively grabbed onto Lloyd, and I suddenly found myself dangling inside a dark passageway. The boys were all hanging onto the bed sheets, which were now above us.

“Whoa!” Jay cheered in excitement. “Secret passageway! Cool!”

I let go of Lloyd, dropping down onto the floor. The boys all did the same, landing around me. I could barely see anything, so I raised my hand and summoned an orb of bright light. It cast over the passageway in a dim shade of pale yellow. The walls were a dark stone, and the walkway was wooden and looked old.

“Nice work, Cole,” Kai praised. “Maybe Zane’s not on the island, but _in_ it.”

“Quiet,” Lloyd hushed. “Do you hear that?”

We all listened, and I heard what sounded like female grunting. It was muffled, probably coming from the other side of a wall. I looked upward to where it was originating from, and spotted two small holes in the wall with light shining through them.

“Ooo, secret peep holes!” Jay exclaimed. “Ha ha! Super cool!” He scurried over to the peepholes, scaling the wall. “Sounds like someone’s fighting on the other side of this wall.” He reached the peepholes and pressed his face up against them to look through.

“What do you see?” Cole asked as the rest of us gathered below Jay. “Who’s fighting?”

“It’s not a fight,” Jay informed us. “It’s Skylor’s room. And it looks like she’s training.”

At the mention of her name, Kai’s face immediately lit up. “Let me see! Let me see!” he demanded eagerly, climbing up the wall.

I frowned up at them. “Guys, leave her alone,” I said. Not only did we have more important things to be doing, but girls needed their privacy. _Skylor called him sweet earlier. What would she think if she saw him now?_

Kai and Jay ignored me, of course.

Cole smirked. “Ah, looks like Kai’s got the hots for her,” he observed.

I snorted, raising an eyebrow. “You just figured that out?”

“No, she’s competition,” Kai defended, not fooling anybody. “I just wanna know what powers we’re up against.”

_Of course you do_ , I thought, resisting the urge to say it aloud.

Kai shoved Jay aside, trying to look through the peepholes.

“Wait your turn,” Jay snapped.

“We can at least share,” Kai suggested.

Meanwhile, I decided that this had gone on long enough. “Okay, guys, would you please cut it out? This is creepy! Leave the poor girl alone.”

“She’s right, guys,” Lloyd added, seeing how bothered I was by this. “This is an invasion of privacy.”

Once again, Jay and Kai ignored us, continuing to spy on poor Skylor.

“Ugh, her room doesn’t reveal anything about her power,” Kai grumbled.

He and Jay silently peered through the peepholes for a few moments more, me facepalming down below them. Then, they both gasped in surprise.

“What is it?” Cole asked. “What did you see?”

Kai looked down at us, shocked. “She’s...fire...”

“What?” I exclaimed softly. How was that possible? Kai was the Master of Fire!

“Wait a minute,” Lloyd interjected, smiling. “If we’re all descendants of Elemental Masters…”

Cole and I both exchanged a look of realization, then burst out laughing. Cole started to sing mockingly, and I eagerly joined in, dancing around with him. “Kai’s heart is on fire! Kai’s heart is on fire! Kai’s heart is on fire! Kai’s---”

“Can we please just keep moving?” Kai exclaimed, clearly annoyed. 

Cole and I snickered, high-fiving each other. Kai and Jay jumped off the wall to rejoin us on the floor. Calming myself down, I moved to the front of the group, holding my hand high to light the way.

“Huh. It’s like a maze down here,” Kai remarked as we walked down the winding hallway. He looked back at Cole. “Good thing you’re leaving a trail back to my room.”

“I’m what?” Cole inquired. He glanced behind him, seeing that he was leaving a trail of chocolate shell peas on the floor. He’d brought the whole bowl with him. “Oh, yeah. Heh. I meant to do that.”

The five of us traveled through the passageway, on the lookout for anyone or anything. The hallway ended at a wide ladder leading down, and we climbed down it two at a time. I kept my light shining brightly so nobody tripped or fell. At the bottom of the ladder was another passageway, but this one had been carved out of cave stone, and had a few dim light bulbs sticking out of the walls. We all stuck close together, silent like the ninjas we were.

I was too busy gazing around at the curious surroundings, wondering what we were getting ourselves into, that I didn't notice the tripwire in front of me. I would’ve stepped on it, if Lloyd hadn’t spotted it.

“Everyone, stop!” he exclaimed, grabbing my arm and yanking me backward. He pointed down at the tripwire on the floor, and I finally noticed it. “Booby traps.”

I gulped. _I almost walked right into that!_ I was usually so careful.

Jay chuckled in glee. “Ha ha! Booby traps! Even cooler! Ha ha!”

Lloyd and I gave him deadpan stares.

“Or, I mean, kinda cool,” Jay mumbled, shying away in embarrassment. “I mean, they’re totally not cool, you know, ‘cause they’re dangerous…”

“From here on out, we have to watch our step,” Lloyd stated.

I gave him a grateful smile. “Thanks for the save.”

He mirrored my smile. “No problem.”

Kai stepped forward, staring down the passageway. “Do you hear that? Everyone be quiet.”

From the other end of the hallway, I could hear the faint sound of voices. It sounded to me like they were chanting. I extinguished my orb of light, and the five of us quickly scurried behind a nearby boulder, hiding as a group of men appeared. It was a few of the tattooed goons from before, but now they looked more like cultists than goons. They each wore a Serpentine skull on their head, and a few of them were shirtless, exposing their purple Anacondrai tattoos.

The first group walked by us, thankfully not noticing the ninja hiding behind the rock. As another group passed by our hiding spot shortly afterward, we all quickly leapt into action, taking them by surprise and knocking them out. There were five of them, so we each stole one of their outfits, putting them on over our ninja gis. Kai then had the brilliant idea to paint our faces with the chocolate from the shell peas, so it would look like we had tattoos. It was kind of funny, smearing chocolate on each other’s faces.

Once we were all disguised, the five of us emerged from behind the boulder, casually following another group of cultists down the passageway. It wasn’t long before we came to a large cavern, where all the other cultists were gathered before a raised platform. I spotted Clouse standing next to said platform. The fire from the torches made the brown stone glow red. There was also a giant stone snake head protruding from the wall, and it reminded me too much of the Great Devourer statue in Ouroboros. There were stairs underneath the snake head, leading to a few levels of arches on the back wall. The cultists were still chanting rhythmically as we walked toward the back of the group, and it was beginning to creep me out.

“This is giving me some major Temple of Doom vibes…” I mumbled worriedly. What was going on here?

“Temple of Doom?” Lloyd asked me curiously.

“I’ll explain later,” I assured him, afraid to talk for fear of being discovered.

Cole, meanwhile, was touching his face and happily licking the chocolate from his fingers. He looked like a cat cleaning itself. I tried not to giggle at him.

“Stop licking your tattoos,” Kai scolded him quietly.

“It’s chocolate,” Cole defended. “I can’t resist.”

“Shh!” Lloyd hushed them. “Just try to fit in.”

The five of us began mimicking the cultists, chanting rhythmically with them and lowering our heads. That was when Chen appeared, descending the stairs in the back and arriving on the platform. He was carrying a long staff that resembled--you guessed it--a snake. It had a circular golden Anacondrai emblem on it, and at the top of the staff in the “snake’s” mouth was some sort of glowing crystal. He slammed the staff onto the ground, and the cultists all immediately fell forward onto their faces. The five of us were caught off guard, but quickly followed suit.

“Bring out the loser!” Chen demanded.

From the corner of my eye, I saw two cultists walk in, dragging Karlof into the room kicking and screaming. A cold stone of dread settled in my stomach. He’d turned his skin to metal to fight them off, but it didn’t seem to be helping him.

“Get hands off Karlof!” he yelled as he struggled in the cultists’ grip. “Karlof wish he never sign up for this.”

My friends and I watched helplessly as Karlof was dragged over to Chen and tossed carelessly onto the ground. Meanwhile, the cultists in front of us began chanting again. I didn’t like the look of this one bit.

Karlof picked his head up off the ground, confused. “What is chanting for?”

Chen smirked. “They’re saying ‘only one can remain,’” he explained. 

The boys and I all exchanged worried looks.

“Like I said: use it or lose it!”

The two cultists restrained Karlof, and Chen pointed his staff at him. The crystal inside glowed, and to my surprise, a blast of ice shot out from it. The blast surrounded Karlof, making him groan in pain. When the ice vanished, so did Karlof’s metal skin, and I saw a faint gray mist leave Karlof’s body and fly into the crystal in Chen’s staff. The cultists released Karlof, and he weakly collapsed onto the floor.

I held back a gasp. “Did...that just happen?” I whispered.

“It did,” Kai confirmed. “He’s stolen Karlof’s power.”

_Only one can remain._ The phrase had a whole new meaning now. It wasn’t talking about whoever won the tournament; it was referring to Chen, after he’d taken everybody’s powers for himself. _Oh crap._

“And he used ice,” Cole pointed out. “That means he must have already stolen Zane’s power, too.”

Strangely, his words gave me hope. _Then Zane really_ is _here!_ I’d been hopeful, of course, but we’d had no real confirmation that he was actually here. Now we knew that our brother was for sure on the island.

Karlof picked himself up, sitting on his knees and looking down at his hands. “What happened to my metal?”

“Your metal?” Chen echoed. “Oh, it’s mine now.” He chuckled in glee. “But now, I will let you go.”

“Really?” Karlof asked, hope in his tone.

“To the factory!” Chen finished dramatically.

The cultists grabbed Karlof again, who immediately began struggling.

“No! No!” he protested as he was dragged away. “Let Karlof go! No! No!”

I watched him go with a heavy heart, wishing that there was something I could do to save him. But there were too many other cultists around right now, and if we were discovered by Chen, then finding Zane would be a lot more difficult.

Lloyd gasped, drawing my attention back to my friends. “Jay, your face!”

Turning my head to look at Jay, my eyes widened when I saw that his chocolate tattoos were melting off of his cheeks.

Jay touched his face, gasping in panic. “Oh! My face?” He looked over at us, then pointed. “All of our faces! The chocolate’s melting!”

Sure enough, when I touched my face, the chocolate dripped onto my fingers. It was more of a liquid now, melted by the stuffy heat that the fire had created. The boys were all in the same boat. _This is not good. This is not good at all._

Unfortunately, Jay’s outburst wasn’t exactly quiet. The cultists kneeling in front of us turned around one by one, fixing us with confused and hostile stares. They murmured amongst themselves, seeing our exposed faces and realizing that we were not like them.

“Who are they?” one asked, pointing at us accusingly.

Chen spotted us and shouted, “Intruders!”

_Crap!_ The five of us scrambled to our feet and bolted, running back into the tunnel we’d used to get here.

“Stop them!” Chen ordered. “They must not escape!”

The army of cultists chased us as we scurried into the tunnels. We ran as fast as we could, going back the way we came as the cultists angrily charged after us. I hoped that we’d lose them after a few twists and turns, but they stayed on us like an angry mob, complete with torches and everything.

We were nearing the entrance to the passageway when Cole tripped over something we all forgot about in our haste: the tripwire. His foot snagged on it, and he fell down face-first. Behind us, a door crashed down, cutting the approaching mob of cultists off and preventing them from getting to us. I breathed a sigh of relief.

“A-ha!” Kai cheered. “Yes!”

As soon as he said that, multiple double-bladed axes fell out of the walls, each one closer to us than the last.

“Oh no!” Kai corrected himself.

The five of us made a run for it, sprinting down the tunnel as the axes fell out of the walls, narrowly missing us and falling at seemingly impossible speeds. We spotted a side passage up ahead, and we all dived into it to escape the axes. We all made it just as the axes caught up with us, nearly chopping Jay in half.

“That was close,” Cole commented.

As if things weren’t exciting enough, I suddenly heard the faint sound of a creature growling. It was coming from the passage we were standing in, which was more of a vertical shaft. I also heard...rattling? Whatever the creature was, it wasn’t friendly.

“That sound...” Jay said.

We all looked down, and I gasped upon seeing a giant purple snake curled up at the bottom of the shaft. Its glowing magenta eyes leered at us, and it hissed threateningly.

“Are you kidding me?” I exclaimed, half terrified and half astounded.

“That has gotta be the second biggest snake I have ever seen!” Kai yelled. His words were true: while this snake was pretty giant, it was nowhere near as large as the Great Devourer had been.

The giant snake suddenly moved, launching itself up the shaft and extending its long fangs. Unable to go down or back, our only choice was to go up. The five of us climbed up the shaft, yelling in terror as the snake chased us upward.

“Why do there always have to be overgrown snakes?!” I asked as we climbed for our lives. “I’m sick of it!”

The snake repeatedly snapped its jaws at us, growing closer and closer to grabbing us with every strike. We reached the top of the shaft, where there was a narrow side passage that led to a dead end. We had no choice but to scramble into it, pushing ourselves against the back wall. Jay was in last and crawled on top of us, trying to get as far away from the snake as possible. The snake kept snapping its jaws at us; we were just barely out of its reach, but it persisted, straining itself to reach us. It was so close that I could feel the air move every time its jaws snapped. I held onto Lloyd, terrified and trying to burrow myself into the wall as much as possible.

_There’s nowhere to go!_ I thought in dismay. _What do we do?!_

I soon received my answer. Just as the snake had almost reached us, a trap door opened up beneath us. The five of us screamed as we fell through open air, then landed on a familiar soft bed. Our snake skulls fell off our heads, thumping onto the ground around us as we all landed in a pile on the bed. The trap door above us closed just as quickly as it had opened.

Somehow, we were back in Kai’s room.

Kai sat up, trying to catch his breath. “Are we…?”

“Yeah,” Lloyd groaned from underneath me. “Barely.”

“Did we just--- Ow!” Cole hissed as he tried to sit up.

Jay heaved himself to his feet. “No more sneaking around,” he proclaimed. “From now on, let’s just follow the rules.”

I rolled off of Lloyd, flopping onto my back beside him. A loud sigh escaped me, and as my racing heart slowly calmed down, I suddenly felt exhausted. “All that action…makes you so thirsty…” I muttered.

Kai stood up. “We may not have found Zane, but we found something just as important,” he stated. “This tournament isn’t about glory. It’s about Chen stealing all of our elemental powers.”

“Only one can remain,” I recited as I raised my head, resting on my elbows.

“But why?” Lloyd wondered, standing up as well. “What is he planning?”

“I don’t know,” Kai admitted, “but if we’re gonna find out and find Zane, we have to play by his rules. Agreed?”

Everyone nodded in unison. “Agreed.”

Lloyd offered me a hand, which I gratefully grabbed, using it to haul myself to my feet.

“Good thing we weren’t spotted,” Cole said. “That was close.”

Jay turned around, showing us the hole that had been ripped in the pants of his disguise. It must’ve been ripped off by that snake’s fangs---it had gotten _that_ close to us. “Yeah...too close,” he agreed, sounding traumatized.

The imminent danger was over, but I knew that we were all far from safe. If Chen found out that we were sneaking around… After what happened to Karlof, I shuddered to think of what fate would await us.


	4. Episode 39: Versus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one-on-one battles begin!
> 
> But wait, Jay and Cole have to fight each other? That's a recipe for disaster.
> 
> On the other hand...maybe it's for the best?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who's ready for Jay and Cole to end their feud? I know I am! It's awful when best friends fight. 
> 
> Not gonna lie, it was kind of a pain to write the first few fights, since in the actual episode it jumps between them sporadically. But, I managed, and I hope I did well!
> 
> As always, I hope you all enjoy! :D  
> \-----------------

Thankfully, we all returned to our separate rooms without getting caught. I couldn’t stop thinking and worrying about all we had learned from our little adventure. It would’ve been a challenge for me to fall asleep, if I wasn’t so exhausted from the night’s excitement. I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

I slept in a little bit the next morning, but not for too long. I woke up starving, and I made a beeline for the chow house after I got ready for the day. I was one of the first people there, and I noticed that I really was becoming quite the early bird. The four boys eventually showed up one by one, and Sensei Garmadon appeared as well. As our group got in the line for food, the boys and I were quick to tell Garmadon all about what we had discovered the previous night. Curious, I asked Garmadon where he was staying, but he told me not to worry about it.

I stood next to Lloyd and his father in line as we waited to be served our food. One of the Anacondrai cultists was behind the counter, piling a collection of breakfast items onto our trays. Garmadon was in front of me and Lloyd, and soon arrived at the front of the line.

At the sight of him, the cultist crossed his arms and stubbornly shook his head. “Nuh-uh. Nothing for you.”

Garmadon frowned, picking up his tray. “There’s a valuable lesson here,” he told us. “If you turn your back on your first evil sensei in an effort to go straight…”

“Next!” the cultist rudely called out.

“...you may not be served creamy biscuits,” he finished, turning around and walking away with the small amount of food he’d grabbed. The way he’d said it made me snort in amusement.

“Well, I know what we _are_ being served,” Lloyd muttered as he moved to the front of the line.

“A whole bunch of baloney?” I guessed, smirking at the phrase.

He nodded. “Exactly. This isn’t a fighting tournament. It’s an alibi for Chen to steal everyone’s powers. But we still don’t know why.”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Kai replied from my other side. “Chen wants to destroy New Ninjago City. I don’t know what it is, but that place has had a string of bad luck.”

He had a point. Every major battle we’d fought so far had taken place in Ninjago City: the Great Devourer, and then the Overlord. Twice.

“I’m not so sure,” Cole piped up as he moved up in line. “From what Sensei G’s told us about him, I have a feeling it’s something far more sinister.”

After being served my food, I followed Lloyd over to where Sensei Garmadon was waiting for us.

Jay, who was still in his pajamas and a robe, frowned. “And may I remind us, we still don’t know where Zane is, which is why we all need to take care of our first rounds to give us more time.” As Cole stared at him open-mouthed, Jay waved him off. “Don’t look at me. I’ve already moved on,” he boasted.

“Your opponent got himself kicked out,” Cole reminded him.

Jay chuckled. “Either way, it’s my day off.” He turned to the cultist serving food. “Extra creamy biscuits. And don’t skimp.”

I sighed, shaking my head. I sensed another fight brewing between the two of them.

“Taking a day off?” Cole echoed as he and Jay walked over to where the rest of us were waiting. “And here I thought ninja never quit.”

“And _I_ used to think ninja wouldn’t steal your girlfriend,” Jay snapped.

I groaned loudly in frustration. “Jay, Cole, remember what I said before?” I inquired, trying to remain calm and remind them of the lecture I’d given them. “Both of you need to stop acting like children.”

“Whatever you have to say to each other, say it now,” Garmadon added, “because harboring grudges hurts no one but yourselves.”

“They’re right,” Lloyd stated. “You should be preparing to fight your next opponent, not each other.”

Cole shrugged. “What grudge? I already dropped it.”

“I dropped it first!” Jay insisted.

“Did not!”

“Did too!”

The two of them began loudly bickering, and shoved each other with their trays, making their food and drinks spill all over the place.

I couldn’t facepalm at the moment, since my hands were holding my tray, so I settled for shaking my head in disappointment. “Why do I even try?”

Sensei Garmadon turned to me and Lloyd. “This tournament will test them,” he told us. “Either find a way for them to make peace, or neither of them will move on.”

He was right, I knew. We’d never be able to get through this tournament and find Zane if we were too busy fighting each other. But despite my best efforts, Cole and Jay were still at each other’s throats. The question was, how could we get them to make peace and be best friends again?

My thoughts were interrupted by triumphant music playing over the PA system. Everyone looked up as Chen’s voice rang throughout the room.

“ _The Tournament of Elements continues. Fun time!_ ” he announced. “ _Would the following masters please make their way to their assigned arena? Speed, Gravity, Smoke, Nature, Mind---oh, and last, and hopefully not least…_ ”

“Huh, maybe we all got the day off,” Jay commented happily.

“ _Fire!_ ”

Kai gasped, and we all shot him looks of concern.

“ _Remember: only one can remain_.”

. . .

Everyone quickly ate and then went to watch the fights. The first fight was between the Master of Gravity and Griffin Turner. We sat on bleachers on the side of a rocky arena amongst the other masters. Sensei Garmadon, Lloyd, and I all sat in front, and Kai, Cole, and Jay sat behind us. Chen, of course, was sitting on his ornate throne, Clouse standing at his right hand. 

I was honestly a little relieved that I wouldn’t be fighting today; I wanted to see how the one-on-one matches operated before I fought in one. I also still wasn’t sure who I was paired up against on the tournament bracket.

Chen introduced the fighters as they stood across from one another beneath a tall peach tree. “Turner, Master of Speed, versus Gravis, Master of Gravity. Fight!”

Griffin immediately zoomed away, and Gravis began levitating off the ground. There was a Jade Blade wedged in the highest branches of the tree, and the first one to get it would win the fight. Griffin used his speed to quickly climb up the branches, and Gravis slowly rose higher and higher to where the blade was.

Gravis looked around, trying to spot Griffin or the blade as he floated through the tree. Griffin appeared out of nowhere, punching Gravis away in a flash of white. Griffin laughed, before Gravis pulled a branch back and whacked him with it. Griffin began running all over the branches as Gravis tried to pin him down.

“What, can’t keep up?” Griffin bragged. He was in one place one moment, then in another the next moment. “I’m over here! Can’t catch me! I’m too fast!”

I rolled my eyes. “He should be called the Master of Ego,” I muttered.

Griffin ran over to Gravis and whacked him with a branch. Gravis, frustrated, raised his hands, causing a flurry of the pink flowers from the tree to start rising into the air with him.

“This doesn’t look good,” Griffin said.

Gravis began relentlessly pelting Griffin with the flowers, covering him in them as he tried to shake them off. He eventually shook the flowers off, zooming away as soon as he did. Gravis looked around, trying to see where he went. Instead, he spotted the Jade Blade in the branches above him, and laughed. He extended a hand towards it, making the blade float down toward him. Before it reached him, Griffin appeared, swiping the Jade Blade out of the air.

“Yeah!” he cheered, fist-pumping in triumph.

“Winner!” Chen declared as the crowd cheered. “Loser,” he said, pointing at Gravis and pressing a button on his throne’s armrest.

A trapdoor opened beneath Gravis---but he was still floating in midair, and didn’t fall in. He laughed in amusement, but then Chen pressed another button, making a sandbag fall out of nowhere. It fell on Gravis, making him fall into the hole.

“Whoa,” I heard Griffin gasp. “How many buttons does that man have?”

“Master of Speed moves on,” Chen stated.

The next match was between the Master of Nature and the Master of Mind. The arena was a dark, open hilltop surrounded by trees. The Jade Blade sat on top of a tall rock in the center.

“Neuro, Master of Mind, versus Bolobo, Master of Nature,” Chen announced. “Fight!”

Neuro put his hands on his temples, concentrating and sending a wave of his mind power at Bolobo. The bearded master began speaking in gibberish under Neuro’s influence.

Lloyd scoffed. “They call this a fight?”

“Wait for it,” Sensei Garmadon told him.

Multiple vines suddenly shot up from the ground, surrounding Neuro and breaking his hold on Bolobo. Neuro leapt into the air, just barely managing to dodge the vines that were attacking him. He used them to jump high onto the rock close to where the Jade Blade was, making Bolobo growl in frustration. Bolobo summoned a vine beneath his feet and used it to lift himself upward toward the Jade Blade. When he neared where Neuro was climbing, he pointed his staff at him, grabbing him with a vine. Neuro, however, was quick to break out of his hold, mind-blasting Bolobo and sending him crashing back to the ground.

“Woah,” I gasped in surprise. Mind powers were pretty cool!

“Never underestimate the power of the mind,” Garmadon advised us.

Neuro kept shooting mind blasts at Bolobo as he jumped down to him. Bolobo rolled out of the way as Neuro landed on the ground, shooting more vines at him with his staff. They curled around Neuro’s arms, restraining him.

“I did not see that coming,” Neuro grunted as he struggled.

Lloyd smiled. “In man versus nature, nature usually wins,” he pointed out.

I nudged him. “But what if that man has super mind powers?” I wondered, not counting Neuro out just yet.

As Neuro continued to struggle against the vines restraining him, Bolobo looked up to where the Jade Blade resided. He laughed, summoning another vine and directing it upward to the blade. Just as he was about to grab it, Neuro released a wave of mind power, giving Bolobo a headache and making him lose control of his vines. Once he was free, Neuro quickly ran over to the vine Bolobo was using to reach for the Jade Blade, using it to climb up to the top of the rock. He reached the top and pulled the blade from the stone, holding it high in triumph.

“Yeah!” he cheered.

“Winner!” Chen declared. He then pointed to Bolobo. “Loser! Master of Mind moves on.”

He pushed a button on his armrest, making a trapdoor open up beneath Bolobo, who fell through screaming just as Gravis had.

Before we knew it, it was time for Kai’s fight against the Master of Smoke. We all wished him luck as he left us. The arena assigned to them was very appropriate: a rickety wooden bridge suspended over a pit of dangerous volcanic lava.

“Kai, Master of Fire, versus Ash, Master of Smoke,” Chen announced, sounding particularly excited for this match. “Fight!”

Kai pulled up his mask and sprinted across the bridge toward the Jade Blade. Ash grabbed the rope railing on his side of the bridge and flipped with it, causing the bridge to violently wobble. It knocked Kai off his feet and made the Jade Blade fall beneath him, landing on one of the stone pillars poking out of the lava. Kai was now hanging from the underside of the bridge, and he used the planks as monkey bars to move forward as Ash charged from up top.

“Come on, Kai, you can do it,” Lloyd mumbled.

“He’s got this,” I stated, confident in Kai’s abilities.

Going into this fight, I had originally thought that fire versus smoke would be no contest. I was quickly proven wrong. Kai swung himself upward, smashing through the bridge and sailing through the air towards Ash. Just as he was about to kick him in the face, Ash vanished in a cloud of smoke, making Kai fall right through it. Ash rematerialized as Kai landed on his other side. Ash laughed, sending a small cloud of smoke at Kai’s face. Kai waved it off, charging at him. He tried leaping for him again, but Ash turned into a smoke cloud again, moving behind Kai as he fell on his rear.

Ash laughed as Kai relentlessly tried to land a blow on him, but kept disappearing in smoke every time he touched him. Ash then suddenly reappeared behind Kai and kicked him in the chest, sending Kai crashing backward through the planks of the bridge. When Kai stopped, he was hanging on for dear life, his feet dangling over the lava down below. Other masters began cheering in excitement, but I was nervously on the edge of my seat.

_You can win this, Kai!_ I silently cheered him on.

Ash shot more clouds of smoke at Kai as he dangled. Kai did his best to dodge them and keep from falling. I crossed my fingers. Kai then flipped himself into the air and cried “Ninja, go!” and did Spinjitzu. He charged right at Ash, who leapt backward to avoid being struck by the fiery tornado. Kai stopped in front of him, and tried aiming a flying kick at Ash again, who just turned into smoke like all the other times.

“Come on, Kai,” Lloyd urged. “Use your power.”

As if the fire ninja had heard him, Kai summoned fire in the palms of his hands. He shouted “Fire!” as he began shooting fireballs at Ash. He attacked Ash with them over and over again as the Master of Smoke made his way closer and closer to him, turning to smoke and letting the fireballs fly right through him. Ash suddenly appeared behind Kai, trying to restrain him. With his free hand, Kai shot a blast of fire at one of the ropes holding the bridge up. The entire bridge collapsed, and Kai flipped onto one of the rocks below. Ash landed on another one, and between them was the tall rock that held the Jade Blade.

They both leapt for it at the same time, clashing in midair. They fought, exchanging swift punches and kicks and repeatedly knocking each other backward. Ash looked at the Jade Blade, then leapt for it. Kai shot a fireball at him and leapt toward him. Ash turned to smoke to let the fireball pass through him, but that also allowed Kai to pass through him and snatch the Jade Blade on the other side. He’d won!

“Yes!” I cheered. “Go Kai!”

“Winner!” Chen declared.

I clapped and exchanged high-fives with the others.

Chen pointed at Ash. “Loser! Master of Fire moves on.” Once again, he pressed a button, and Ash fell through a trapdoor.

We all congratulated Kai on a job well done once we saw him again. He’d won his fight; now the rest of us all had to win ours, too.

. . .

Later that day, the six of us returned to the palace. We were surprised to find the rest of the Elemental Masters chattering amongst themselves, gathered around the bracket board at the back of the room.

“What’s all the commotion?” Jay wondered.

Cole pushed through the other masters, allowing us to move to the front and see the board. We all gasped at what we saw. The brackets with the remaining fights had been changed, and to my dismay, Cole and Jay were now both in the same match.

They would have to fight each other.

“No,” Cole exclaimed. “He can’t do this!”

“He already did,” Lloyd said grimly.

“We gotta fight...each other,” Cole stated in disbelief.

My heart clenched. “This is awful,” I muttered. If we were to find Zane, then either Cole or Jay would have to lose---which meant that one of them had to lose their elemental power.

“But why does it say I have to fight Cole?” Jay protested. “It didn’t say that before. I’m not ready to fight! It was supposed to be my day off!”

Cole sighed tiredly. “I tried to warn ya, but you never listen! Talk? Yes. Listen? Not so much.”

Clouse then walked over to us, a ghost of a smile on his face. “Is there a problem, ninja?” he asked, clearly already knowing what the problem was.

“You cheated!” Cole accused. “You changed the brackets!”

“Oopsie,” Clouse replied, hiding a grin. He chuckled darkly, then walked away.

I turned to Sensei Garmadon. “Is there anything we can do?” I asked.

“They can’t fight each other,” Lloyd protested. “We came here to become whole, not fall further apart.”

“You can’t undo what’s been done,” Garmadon stated. “My only advice is to be at peace with it.”

“Peace?” Jay echoed incredulously. “One of us has to lose!” He started panicking. “Oh my gosh. It’s totally gonna be me! He’s got super strength, and what do I have? Quick, tell me! WHAT DO I HAVE?!”

I raised an eyebrow at him. “Uh...awesome lightning powers?” Honestly, I thought he stood a fighting chance.

“Don’t listen to my dad,” Lloyd told him. “We find Zane, then none of us have to battle. Your fight isn’t until tonight, so we still have time to figure out what Chen’s up to and stop this.”

Speaking of fights, I suddenly remembered to check the brackets to see who I was paired up against. I glanced behind me at the board, finding my picture near the bottom. I was up against...the green-haired poison girl.

Of course. The one person here who held a grudge against me. Why did fate have a sense of humor?

Kai then spoke up. “I think I know just the person who can help,” he announced. “And I think he already knows.”

. . .

As the night began to settle in, the boys and I ventured into the palace courtyard, searching for a certain Master of Mind. We found him sitting atop a rock, meditating and facing away from us with his hands on his temples.

I decided to speak first as we approached him. “Neuro, we need your help,” I told him at a quiet volume.

Without turning around, Neuro immediately replied, “You think I can get close to Chen to read his mind, so you can find your robotic friend and not have to fight.”

I blinked. _Wow. He’s good._

Kai piped up. “Don’t forget---”

“You still need to know what Chen’s up to, because he’s hiding something,” Neuro finished for him.

Jay smiled. “That’s really impressive, Nerdo!”

“It’s Neuro, Master of the Mind,” Neuro corrected, whirling around to face us. “And Cole thinks Jay won’t last long in a fight.”

_Oh boy_ . I cringed, knowing that this would cause another big argument. _Was it really necessary to tell us that?_

Jay scoffed, turning to Cole. “You think that?”

“You just said it yourself,” Cole pointed out, referring to Jay’s earlier outburst.

“But you didn’t have to believe it!” Jay exclaimed.

“Don’t be offended, Cole,” Neuro said. “Jay here thinks you’re the least valuable ninja.”

His words made me facepalm. _Can’t this guy keep ANYTHING to himself?_

Cole’s expression turned angry. “You don’t say?”

He and Jay began angrily pushing and shoving each other, much to my chagrin. I tried to pull Cole away, and Lloyd tried to step in front of Jay, but the two of them moved away from us so that they could continue their squabble. I sighed in disappointment; I’d really grown tired of their fighting.

“We wanted you to help, Neuro,” Lloyd said, glaring up at him, “not make things worse.”

“But why would I help?” Neuro asked. “You’re competition. The sooner you’re out, the better for me.”

“Because there’s a lot more going on here than you think,” I replied.

Lloyd nodded in agreement. “If you want what’s best for you, just look into my head, and you’ll see what this tournament is all about.”

Neuro closed his eyes, concentrating as he used his mind powers on Lloyd. After a few moments of looking into Lloyd’s memory, his eyes snapped open, wide with shock. I assumed he’d seen what we had witnessed happen to Karlof last night.

“It’s only a matter of time before Chen steals your power, too,” Lloyd told him. “So, are you in?”

. . .

The night officially arrived, and before we knew it, it was almost time for Cole and Jay’s fight. We were already at the arena they’d be fighting in. Kai was on one side, helping Jay prepare; they were waiting for Neuro to return from attempting to read Chen’s mind. Lloyd and I were on the other end of the arena with Cole, trying to comfort him.

Cole was currently whacking a punching bag that had a picture of Jay’s face taped to it. He was beating it up, but when he turned his back, the bag crashed into him. Growling in anger, Cole did Spinjitzu on the punching bag, ripping it to shreds. When he stopped, he looked down at Jay’s picture lying in the remains, and visibly slumped. He might be mad at Jay, but deep down, I knew that he didn’t want to fight him. Neither of them really wanted to fight.

On Jay’s side of the arena, I saw Neuro appear and run up to Kai. I held hope that he had discovered something that would stop the fight from happening. He and Kai exchanged a few words, and then Kai turned toward us, shaking his head.

My heart sank. I turned to face Cole, ready to break the bad news to him.

“You don’t have to say it,” he told me before I could speak. “It was inevitable we were gonna have to face each other. May as well be Jay. This fight’s been a long time coming.”

I sighed, hanging my head.

“Well, we’re not at peace with this,” Lloyd stated, “but that doesn’t mean you still can’t find peace with each other. We don’t have control when we fight, but we do have control _how_ we fight. Jay’s not the enemy---Chen is. Remember that.”

“He’s right,” I agreed. “Remember what really matters here. The things you’re fighting with Jay over---are they really more important than losing him? You two used to be best friends. No feud is worth destroying a friendship, Cole.”

Cole sighed solemnly. “Wu once said the best way to defeat your enemy is to make him your friend...but how are you supposed to defeat your friend?”

Neither of us had an answer for him.

The familiar musical fanfare suddenly played over the PA system, and the bars separating Cole from the arena retracted. That was our cue to leave. After wishing Cole good luck, I followed Lloyd over to the stairs that led to the audience viewpoint. We met up with Kai and Neuro, and walked over to where Sensei Garmadon was waiting for us.

“You tried your best,” he assured us when he saw our crestfallen expressions. “The rest is up to them.”

“I hope they can see that, too,” Lloyd said.

I sighed, grabbing his hand for comfort. “Maybe this is what they need.”

Lloyd gave me a confused look. “What do you mean?”

“Well, they’ve been arguing, bickering, and insulting each other for so long,” I pointed out. “Maybe actually fighting each other will be what finally allows them to get everything out in the open and resolve their conflict.”

Chen stood up from his throne, throwing his arms out. “Let the tournament continue!” he announced, sounding very excited. “Jay, Master of Lightning, versus Cole, Master of---”

He didn’t even get to finish before Jay and Cole charged at each other. Jay shot lightning straight at Cole, who flipped over it and punched the dirt, making rocks shoot out of the ground, which Jay dodged.

Jay laughed. “Haha! That’s all you got? Least valuable ninja!”

“Eat dirt, blue-belle!” Cole retorted, sending a blast of earth straight at Jay.

The two attacked each other relentlessly, rapidly sending powerful blasts of earth and lightning at one another over and over again.

I sighed. “Or, you know, I could be wrong…”

Cole and Jay each released a blast of their element at the same time, lightning and earth clashing between them. They both pushed against each other, trying to gain the upper hand. I watched anxiously, worried about how this would turn out.

As they fought down below, Jay and Cole continued to argue. “Stronger than you thought, eh?” Jay boasted as his lightning pushed against Cole’s earth. “That’s your betrayal flowing through my veins.”

“I’m looking forward to the peace and quiet when you’re out of the tournament,” Cole grumbled.

In a second wind, he released a huge blast of earth. It overpowered Jay, sending him flying backward onto the ground. The crowd cheered, but my friends and I remained silent.

Then, Cole seemed to come to a realization, lowering his arms. “What are we doing?” he asked, his tone no longer hostile. “I don’t want you out. You’re not my enemy---Chen is.”

“Oh, sure,” Jay groaned, sitting up. “Lower my guard by pretending to be my friend, then swoop in and steal the prize. Typical Cole maneuver!” He summoned his lightning again.

Cole stood his ground as Jay approached him. “I never meant to hurt you, Jay,” he told him. “If I knew it would destroy our friendship, I’d take it all back.”

His words made Jay halt. “Well...if we’re being honest, I was upset about losing Nya, but I take blame for that,” he admitted. “I was more upset about losing you. We used to be good friends.”

“The best! Right?” Cole agreed. “We should’ve been honest with each other instead of bottling this up.”

“Agreed,” Jay said. “But how are we supposed to stop fighting? We can’t both win.”

Cole hummed. “Well, maybe we can draw it out until they call it a tie. Quick, attack me. But not hard.”

The two of them ran at each other, fighting without their elemental powers. They exchanged blows, but were careful not to actually hurt one another.

Apparently, Chen wasn’t having it. “Release the Condrai Crushers!” he ordered.

Multiple snake-like vehicles zoomed into the arena, armed with sharp spinning blades. They surrounded Cole and Jay, driving around them. The two of them stood back to back, ready to face their true enemies together. With a cry of “Ninja, go!” the two of them did Spinjitzu, attacking the Crushers together.

I grinned, letting out a long, exasperated noise that was somewhere between a groan and a sigh. “Finally!” I exclaimed, overwhelmed with joy and relief to see that Jay and Cole’s stupid feud was finally over.

“They fight together,” Sensei Garmadon stated, smiling and turning to us. “Good work, you two.”

Lloyd smirked. “Yeah, I do listen to you every once in a while.” He and I chuckled at his words.

Cole and Jay worked together to defeat the Condrai Crushers. Cole used his earth and super strength to destroy them, and Jay electrocuted the drivers so they’d stop. Everyone cheered when they were victorious, and I grinned as I watched Jay and Cole clasp hands.

“Enough!” Chen suddenly shouted, clearly angry that they weren’t fighting each other anymore. “I know what you are trying to do. If neither of you will win, then both of you will lose!”

He began rapidly pushing multiple buttons on his throne. The floor of the arena began falling away as multiple trapdoors activated at once. Jay and Cole both backed up to the center of the arena, where the Jade Blade was sitting at the top of a wooden pole. They both leapt around, trying their best to not fall in as the floor disappeared beneath them piece by piece.

“We can’t both lose!” I heard Cole shout to Jay. “Chen’s right: there can only be one.”

“And it should be you,” Jay insisted. “You and I both know I'm lucky to have even made it this far. You take the Jade Blade.”

Cole turned around and sprinted for the blade, hopping over the gaps as he ran. He leapt onto the pole and rapidly climbed it. He grabbed the Jade Blade at the top, but as soon as he did, he tossed it over to Jay. He caught it, looking up at Cole in surprise and confusion.

“Winner!” Chen declared. He then pointed at Cole. “Loser! Master of Lightning moves on.”

Cole jumped down from the pole, pulling his mask off. “She’s yours, Jay,” he stated. I knew he wasn’t talking about the Jade Blade. “I should’ve bowed out long ago. Win this thing.”

Chen hit a button, and I watched helplessly as Cole fell through a trapdoor. “Cole… No,” I said, growing sad. I’d known that one of them had to lose, but...I’d still been hopeful that things would turn out differently.

“Cole may be gone, but he did not lose,” Garmadon stated, smiling proudly. “Let what he did here today be a lesson for us all: know thine enemy, but more importantly, know thy friend. He fought like a true ninja.”

I chased away my sadness, because I knew he was right. Cole did what had to be done so that the rest of us could keep the fight going. We would find him and Zane, rescue them, and then put a stop to Chen's evil plan. That was a promise.

_Hang in there, Cole_ , I told him silently. _We’ll see each other again very soon_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry, Cole. :(
> 
> Alright...who's ready to see Aurora fight?
> 
> Coming to you next week. Same ninja time, same ninja channel. :)


	5. Episode 40: Pretty Poison

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aurora vs the Master of Poison!
> 
> She's got this fight in the bag. 
> 
> ...Or does she?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An original episode! Yay! It's a little on the short side, but I hope I made it entertaining for you guys! Enjoy!
> 
> WARNING: lots of fluffy fluff. Read at your own risk.  
> \-------------------

I tried my best to not worry about Cole too much, reminding myself that he could take care of himself and that we’d reunite with him soon. A part of me wanted to sneak back into the secret passageway we’d found to check on him, but that was a terrible idea--and I really did _not_ want to run into that giant snake again--so I restrained myself. I took a little comfort in the thought that, now that Cole was with the other masters who had lost, he would be free to search for Zane.

_Who knows? Maybe he’s already found him_ , I thought hopefully. I really wanted to see Zane again. I owed him a big hug.

Everyone retired for the night after Cole and Jay’s fight. Jay felt guilty about what had happened, but we were all quick to assure him that he shouldn’t be. I trained for a little while before going to bed that night, physically and mentally preparing myself for the inevitable. Lloyd and I were the only ones of our group who hadn’t had our fights yet, but I knew that it would happen soon. And from what I had witnessed today, I needed to be at the top of my game if I wanted to move on in the tournament.

The next morning, like the previous days, my friends and I all met up in the chow house, grabbed our breakfast, and sat down together to eat at our usual booth. The table felt empty with Cole’s absence; we speculated a little bit on where he was right now and what he was doing, but we tried not to worry about him too much. Instead, we quietly discussed Chen and his evil plot. Kai and Jay shared what Neuro had learned with us: he hadn’t been able to see into Chen’s mind---he couldn’t get past stupid Clouse. But he had read Clouse’s mind, and had seen a spell in his spellbook, on page one forty-nine. Whatever it was, it was the answer to what Chen planned to do with all the elements if he stole them all. It was clear that we had to find that spellbook.

“I say it’s a spell that will transfer all the elements to Chen,” Jay guessed.

Kai frowned. “Why would he do that when he already has the staff?”

“So nobody can take their elements back!” Jay explained like it was obvious. “Duh.”

I cringed at the thought. “That would _not_ be good. He’d be the most powerful being in all of Ninjago.”

“He could do whatever he wanted to,” Lloyd added grimly.

“And we’d have no powers to stop him!” Jay exclaimed. “We’d be so hooped...”

Sensei Garmadon hummed in thought. “I know Chen, and my instincts tell me that there’s more to his plan than controlling all the elements. But what, I’m not sure.”

“The answer’s on that page,” Kai reminded us. “Which means we need to find it.”

Our discussion was interrupted by familiar musical fanfare playing overhead, causing everyone to gaze up at the ceiling. It was time for Chen to announce the day’s events.

“ _What a wonderful morning to continue the tournament_ ,” Chen announced, his tone full of glee. “ _Time for more fun! The masters fighting today will be: Amber, Poison, Sound, and...Light!_ ”

I gasped. “Uh oh.”

“ _Fighters, please make your way to your assigned arenas!_ ”

It was my turn? Of course, I had already made peace with the fact that I’d have to fight eventually, but a part of me had been hoping I’d get to be free for one more day. Another part of me was itching for the chance to show my stuff, and was perfectly fine with this turn of events.

Wearing a small, nervous smile, I turned back to my friends. “Well, uh... Looks like I’m up…” Curious, I looked to Sensei Garmadon for advice. “What do you know about the Master of Poison?”

The sensei hummed in thought. “If I remember correctly, she’ll have the power to create poisonous gas,” he informed me. “And if you inhale that gas, it could do a number of things to you. But I’m afraid I’m not sure exactly what it will do. It would be in your best interest to avoid breathing in the gas at all.”

I let out a nervous sigh, trying my best not to seem worried or scared---because I wasn’t. Nope. Not at all. 

...Okay, maybe a tiny bit.

Lloyd, of course, saw right through me. “You’ve definitely got this, Rose,” he assured me, placing his hand on my arm and smiling at me to calm my nerves.

“Yeah, you’ll do great,” Kai agreed with a nod.

“You’ll knock ‘em dead!” Jay exclaimed enthusiastically. “Well, you know, you won’t really, uh...literally knock them dead… You know what I mean, right?”

Their words of encouragement boosted my confidence and made me smile. “Thanks, guys.” After taking one last swig of my juice, I scooted out of the booth and got to my feet. “I guess I’d better get to the arena.”

Lloyd immediately followed me. “I’ll walk you there.”

That made my smile grow wider, and I didn’t protest. I waved to the others, who all wished me good luck, then started walking over to the chow house exit. My hand found Lloyd’s as we walked side by side. 

As we made our way toward the arena, I still couldn’t help but feel nervous. My confidence boost was wearing off bit by bit the closer we got. I was glad that Lloyd was with me, which meant that I wouldn’t be alone with my thoughts. Butterflies grew in my stomach with every step I took, and Lloyd noticed.

“Hey,” he said, squeezing my hand. “You okay?”

“I’m fine,” I reassured him. “Just still a little nervous, for some reason. Probably because if I lose this fight, not only will I get my power taken away, but I’ll be cast into whatever deep, dark pit Cole is trapped in right now. That might be enough cause to be nervous.” I shrugged nonchalantly. “But I’m fine. I promise.”

“Aurora,” Lloyd said sternly, “you have nothing to be worried about. I know that this whole thing is a little intimidating, but when has that ever stopped you before?” He gave me a proud smile. “You’re an amazing fighter---even better than me!”

I immediately disagreed. “Come on, Lloyd, there’s no way I’m better than---”

“Yes you are!” he insisted. “You’re strong, brave, skilled, focused, resilient, determined, powerful, incredible, beautiful---” He stopped when he realized that he was going a bit off track, his cheeks flushing in slight embarrassment.

My heart swelled with all of his wonderful compliments, and I felt all warm and fuzzy inside. I smirked at him, thinking that his embarrassment was very cute. “Don’t stop there,” I encouraged him, winking. “Keep digging.”

Lloyd chuckled, chasing away his embarrassment. “My point is that you can definitely win this,” he stated confidently. “You were born to be a ninja.”

“And ninja never quit,” I finished for him. My confidence was returning, and I felt silly for ever losing it in the first place. I would not accept defeat easily---I could do this!

He nodded in agreement. “Besides, we’ve been training in the ways of the ninja for so long. How much training do you think the Master of Poison has had?”

At first glance, I would say not very much. However, I had learned long ago to never judge a book by its cover. The other masters had managed to put up tough fights so far, and she wouldn’t be any different. She also just so happened to dislike me, and would try very hard not to lose to me again. But that was just another challenge that I could definitely surmount. “You’re right, Lloyd,” I agreed, giving him a grateful smile. “I’m just worrying too much about everything, as usual.”

“Happens to the best of us,” Lloyd assured me, returning my smile.

Feeling a surge of love for him, I leaned over to peck him on the lips, feeling ever so grateful to have a guy like him. “Thank you.”

Before I knew it, we’d arrived at the entrance I was to use to get inside the arena. The time for me to fight was near. I let go of Lloyd’s hand, turning to face him.

“Thanks for the escort,” I told him.

Lloyd smiled at me, nodding. “It was a pleasure, my lady,” he replied. 

His chivalrous words made me blush and grin like an idiot. I turned toward the entrance, feeling confident and holding my head high. “Time to kick butt,” I stated.

I only took one step forward before Lloyd stopped me. “Wait!” he exclaimed, walking closer.

Confused, I turned back to Lloyd, only to make a noise of surprise as he kissed me. I hummed pleasantly, kissing him back, and then grunted in disappointment when it was over too soon.

Lloyd smirked when he saw my flustered state. “For luck,” he explained.

A little dazed from the kiss, I asked, “And how am I supposed to fight after that?”

He laughed. “You’ll find a way,” he assured me. “You always do.”

I sighed dreamily, full of love for this amazingly sweet boy. “I love you,” I told him.

“I love you, too,” Lloyd replied, starting to walk away. “I’ll see you after you win.”

I watched him go, sighing in admiration like a schoolgirl with a crush. After a long moment, I snapped myself out of the lovestruck trance, refocusing on the tournament. Facing the entrance again, I went into ninja mode and walked into the doorway, my head held high. _Time to show them what the Yellow Ninja can do!_

A short hallway led into the arena. I briefly wondered what it would look like; all the arenas had been interesting so far, and no two had been alike. _As long as I don’t have to fight over a pit of lava, I’m up for anything_ , I thought. Lloyd’s pep talk and the encouragement from the others made me definitely believe that I could win this. The fact that I’d faced far scarier foes than the Master of Poison helped, too. Keeping these thoughts in mind (and ignoring the thoughts of self-doubt) I felt more and more confident with every step.

Until I saw the arena.

The familiar light of day shone upon me as I exited the tunnel and walked into the arena. It greeted me like an old friend, making me smile---but then that smile faded when I took in my surroundings.

It was a toxic bog.

Because that was so fair.

Definitely proof that Chen had it out for us ninja.

After a moment of panic, I shook myself out of it. _This isn’t a problem_ , I assured myself. _Sure, it’ll give the Master of Poison an advantage, and the place smells like Ultra-Dragon’s dung. But when_ aren’t _the cards stacked against me? Just think of this as a true test of your skills._ If Kai could win a fight over a precarious pit of lava, then I could win this. Plus, if I did win, how impressive would that make me look to the other masters? 

Not that I really cared what they thought of me, or about winning the tournament at all---but it was fun to think about.

As I pulled up my mask to help block out the awful stench, I saw the Master of Poison herself enter on the far side of the arena. Eventually, her gaze met mine, and she smirked---trying to be intimidating, or delighted at the chance to hurt me? I wasn’t sure which. I responded with a friendly wave to confuse her.

My gaze traveled over to the bleachers where the audience was settled, way out of the fighting zone. A cultist rhythmically beat a large drum to set the mood. I spotted the familiar, colorful figures of my friends sitting amongst the other masters. They believed in me, and so did I.

I took the short time before the fight began to stretch and run myself through a few quick katas, both physically and mentally preparing myself for the battle. I soon realized that a part of me was itching to fight, as I’d done nothing but watch other people fight all day yesterday. My elemental light was eager to be used.

Chen eventually appeared, grinning cheerfully as he plopped down in his throne. I stopped preparing, getting into a ready stance and planning to move as soon as the fight began. Across the way, the green-haired Master of Poison did the same, still smirking confidently.

_I’m ready for you_ , I thought.

“Let the tournament continue!” Chen excitedly announced. “Aurora, Master of Light, versus Tox, Master of Poison. Fight!”

As soon as he stopped talking, I leapt into action. The green-haired girl, Tox, did the same, charging right at me. The audience cheered in excitement as the fight began. I had to hop over small pools of stinky toxic sludge in order to reach the large mass of land in the center. I kept an eye out for the Jade Blade as I ran, knowing that it would most likely be up high in one of the tall swamp trees that were scattered about.

Tox and I clashed in the arena’s center. For a few moments, all we did was exchange blows; she was faster than I’d anticipated, but still not as skilled as I was in hand-to-hand combat. I decided to be at least a little bit honorable--even though she clearly had it out for me--and not use my element until she used hers. 

And it wasn’t long before she did. As she swung her fists at me, Tox summoned small green clouds of poisonous gas while her hands were down, trying to catch me by surprise. I was ready for it, though, and saw the gas appear before she attacked me with it. I held my breath, backflipping a safe distance away from her and only breathing normally again when I was out of the gas’s range. I’d barely landed when Tox began shooting her poisonous gas at me again, and I quickly ducked and flipped out of the way. I responded by finally summoning my light, throwing small blasts of it at her. It went on like this for a few minutes, the two of us throwing our elements at one another. She did well at dodging my bursts of light, but she did get knocked down a few times. Over time, it grew easier to avoid her clouds of poisonous gas, and so I closed in on her, trying to wear her down enough so that I could go find the Jade Blade. The fumes from the toxic bog we fought in began to make me just a little nauseous the more I breathed them in, but I made myself ignore it for now.

Tox seemed to quickly realize that I had the advantage, as far as physical attacks went. After dodging one of my light blasts, she raised her hands and began expelling steady streams of poisonous gas from them. She kept releasing the gas as she attacked me, trying to get close enough to use it on me. I kept fighting her, trying to stay out of the gas. Tox kept using her element, and before I knew it, there was a cloud of poisonous gas completely surrounding us, rapidly growing larger. It eventually grew so thick that I couldn’t see very well, and was forced to take a deep breath and hold it in to avoid breathing in the gas.

Tox used the poor visibility to her advantage, disappearing into the fog of gas and abruptly reappearing to try and catch me off guard. Most of the time, I could hear her coming, and was able to dodge her attacks. My yellow light glowed brightly around my hands, allowing me to more easily spot her shadow as she ran through the thick poisonous gas. I was holding my own, but after a while, I began to feel light-headed, and the urge to breathe grew stronger and stronger. I knew I would have to breathe at some point, and I had to get out of this cloud of gas before I did. But honestly, the cloud was growing so much that I wasn’t sure which direction to go in.

Unfortunately, as I tried to locate Tox again, she suddenly appeared out of nowhere, finally catching me by surprise. She leapt at me, kicking me hard in my stomach and laughing in delight. It knocked me back a few feet, and the wind was knocked from me as I landed on my back. I gasped involuntarily, coughing and trying to regain my breath. I instantly realized my mistake as the poison gas burned my mouth and nose, and I quickly held my breath again. I had hoped to avoid breathing in the gas at all, but when the breath is knocked from your lungs, you don’t have much of a choice.

_That was a cheap shot_ , I thought spitefully as I suffered. _I guess I shouldn’t be surprised; Sensei Garmadon did say that these masters wouldn’t fight honorably._

The effects from Tox’s poison were almost instant. As I slowly picked myself up off the ground, I suddenly felt faint, and a little woozy. It was a struggle to remain balanced once I was on my feet again, and the poison was leaving me more nauseous on top of it. The ground almost felt like it was swaying beneath my feet. I tried to snap out of it, but between keeping my guard up and forcing myself to hold my breath, the gas’s effects were a huge hindrance.

I could not afford to breathe it in again, or I’d be done for. I knew I had to get rid of the poisonous gas. Thinking quickly before I could collapse, I cried out “Ninja, go!” and twisted into my bright yellow tornado of Spinjitzu. I rapidly moved myself in a wide circle, creating strong gusts of wind that dispelled the thick green gas. I then went for Tox, who was surprised that I’d dispelled the gas so quickly, and swept her up in the vortex. She was tossed away, landing hard on the ground as I came to a stop. I immediately gulped in huge breaths of air, coughing and letting the new air flood my lungs; it was almost as bad as the time I’d nearly drowned. The toxic bog’s stench was still disgusting, but I took what I could get. Doing Spinjitzu had not helped my light-headedness, either, and I stumbled a little, nearly falling on my face. However, I mentally cheered myself on.

_Keep going!_ I urged myself. _You can win this!_

As Tox lay on the ground, dazed, I finally spotted the Jade Blade. It was high up in a nearby tree, wedged amongst the branches. Wasting no time, I hurried toward the tree. I stumbled a little as my muscles began to feel weak. My growing nausea wasn’t helping either, but I pressed on, more determined than ever to get the blade and win the fight. I didn’t stop running as I approached the tree, using my momentum to leap up and latch onto the trunk. I then started climbing as fast as I could. Normally, I was a fast climber, but with my muscles weakened from the poison, and the fact that I felt very sick, I could not go too fast.

I climbed from branch to branch, taking care not to lose my grip but also moving as quickly as I could. The Jade Blade was close now, and for a moment, I thought I had a straight shot to win.

Just as I reached for the branch where the blade was, something grabbed my leg and yanked. I let out a cry of surprise, just barely hanging onto the tree and not falling off. Looking down, I saw Tox underneath me, grabbing my ankle. I yanked my leg around, trying to free it from her grip--the Jade Blade was _right there_ , it was so close--but she would not let go.

She was glaring up at me, her confident smirks gone. “That blade is mine!” she growled.

I raised an eyebrow at her. “I don’t see your name on it,” I said. 

With Tox holding me back, the Jade Blade was just out of reach. I had to act fast, before she tried pulling me off the tree again or used her poisonous gas on me. Thinking quickly, I came up with a solution. 

I gave her an apologetic look. “I didn’t wanna have to do this, but…” I lowered a hand toward her and let out a bright flash of light.

Tox gasped, and instinct took over, making her let go of my ankle to shield her eyes from the blinding light. It was all I needed. As soon as she let go, I gathered all the strength I had left and leapt upward, latching onto the branch that held the Jade Blade. I quickly grabbed it, standing up on the branch as I triumphantly held the blade high in the air.

“Yes!” I exclaimed, overcome with glee. I would’ve jumped for joy, if I wasn’t feeling so woozy. I had won!

“Winner!” Chen declared.

The masters in the audience all cheered. I could hear my friends cheering my name, and spotted them across the way, jumping out of their seats in joy. I laughed, proud of myself, but mainly relieved that I had won. I got to keep my elemental power.

But Tox didn’t.

“Loser!” Chen exclaimed, pointing accusingly at Tox. “Master of Light moves on.”

Tox grumbled curses beneath her breath. A trapdoor opened at the base of the tree beneath her, and a sandbag appeared out of nowhere, knocking her off the tree and into the trapdoor. I cringed, feeling a little guilty. Even though she’d had it out for me, I still felt sorry for her. Nobody deserved to have their elemental power taken away from them.

_Don’t worry,_ I told her silently. _Once we defeat Chen, you, Cole, and all the other masters down there will get your powers back._ Maybe then she wouldn’t dislike me so much.

Jade Blade in hand, I carefully climbed down the tree. I still felt light-headed and weak, so getting down from the tree was a bit of a chore. Thankfully, I made it down without incident, and started walking back to the arena’s exit. I desperately needed to sit down, and I felt like I was on the verge of throwing up, but my pride would not let me, especially where people could see me. I tried to focus on my victory instead, basking in the relief of winning instead of thinking about how ill I felt.

I didn’t pull my mask off until I was well away from the toxic bog and its horrible stench. I paused for a moment to inhale the clean, fresh air that wasn’t tainted by poison. After taking a few deep breaths of it, I felt slightly better, and so continued walking, eager to see Lloyd and the others.

I found them inside the palace. Once they spotted me, they rushed over to me with big grins on their faces, making me mirror their smiles.

“That was awesome!” Jay exclaimed in awe.

“Knew you could do it,” Kai told me with a grin.

“Well done, Aurora,” Garmadon praised, giving me a proud nod.

“You were amazing, Rose!” Lloyd stated, hugging me tightly. “I told you you could do it.”

I grinned at all of their words of praise. “Thanks, everyone.” After the hug, I leaned on Lloyd a little, still feeling woozy. “Can we go sit down or something?” My stomach turned, and I clutched it, praying that I wouldn’t see my breakfast on the floor. “If I keep standing here any longer, I might hurl…”

“Don’t worry, I’ve gotcha,” Lloyd said, turning away from me and picking me up to give me a piggyback ride, just like he did when we were kids. I giggled like a little girl, wrapping my arms around his neck and tiredly burying my face into his shoulder as we all headed onward to the next fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm afraid I don't know very much about Tox as far as what all her powers can do. We only see her use her element once or twice in season 4, and honestly it's been so long since I've watched the other seasons she's in, so I wasn't quite sure what her poison can do exactly. The wiki was also barely helpful. But I persevered, and I hope I did a good job in the end!
> 
> See you all next week! Love you guys!


	6. Episode 41: Ninja Roll

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beware how you treat those around you, for they will treat you the same.
> 
> OR: Rollerskating is fun, but not when everybody's out to get you!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woot! Time for Ninja Roll! This was a fun chapter to write! Lots of opportunites for fluff.
> 
> Is it November already? Who else is ready for this crazy Jumanji year to be over? I'm ready for the holidays!
> 
> Anyway, as always, I hope you enjoy! :)  
> \-------------------------

“Skylor, Master of Amber, versus Jacob, Master of Sound. Fight! Fight!”

After Chen finished speaking, the two mentioned masters immediately began fighting. Skylor, wielding a spear and dressed like a ninja herself, threw her weapon at one of the many vases scattered about the room. Apparently, the Jade Blade was hidden in one of them. The one she shattered did not contain the Jade Blade, but instead had a bow and a set of arrows inside. As she ran to collect them, Jacob, the blind Master of Sound, calmly strummed his sitar to create waves of sound to locate Skylor as she hid from him. She shot an arrow at him, which he barely dodged, crying out in surprise as he ran for cover. Skylor continued shooting arrows at him, and he used them to climb to higher ground as they stuck in the wall. He strummed his sitar, sending a powerful soundwave at Skylor. She leapt out of the way, and the soundwave shattered another vase instead. The sound reverberated up to where Lloyd, Jay, Sensei Garmadon, and I were sitting, making us cover our ears.

Garmadon hummed. “Master of Sound’s gotten stronger since the last time I saw him.”

Jacob, now back on the ground, continued lightly strumming his sitar to locate Skylor. She was hiding behind a vase, and when his back was turned, she briefly touched his shoulder, then retreated. Jacob swiped the shurikens from the vase he’d broken, tossing them at Skylor. She flipped out of the way, and I was pretty impressed with her skill.

“Excuse me. Excuse me,” a familiar voice bid. I turned my head to see Kai making his way toward us, holding a cup of water in one hand and accidentally stepping on the other masters’ toes as he tried to squeeze past them. “Uh, don’t mean to block your view. Just passing through.” I softly giggled at his awkwardness, and he arrived at our spot with a sheepish smile. “Sorry,” he apologized. “All of these temples look the same.” He scooched down a little further to hand me the cup he was holding. “Here’s that water you wanted, Aurora.”

As we’d been making our way to the fight, Kai had sweetly offered to go grab me some water to help calm my nausea. He’d diverged from the group to go get it, promising to meet us back at the palace. 

I took the offered water with a grateful smile. “Thanks, Kai,” I told him, bringing it up to my lips to sip at it.

“How are you feeling?” Lloyd asked me, concerned.

“A lot better,” I informed him, smiling in reassurance. “Still a bit light-headed, but I’m not nearly as nauseous anymore, so thankfully we won’t have to see my breakfast again.”

Lloyd smiled in relief. “Good.” He put his arm around my waist, and I leaned against him, humming in content as I rested my head on his shoulder.

Kai plopped down beside Jay. “Did I miss anything?” he asked.

Jay snickered. “By the looks of it, you didn’t _miss_ much,” he stated, gesturing to the other masters sitting on Kai’s other side. They were all clutching their toes and sending glares Kai’s way. “Maybe we shouldn’t be sitting together,” he suggested, frowning. “I mean, the more they think we’re a team, the bigger targets we put on ourselves.”

“Don’t say that,” Lloyd told him. “We _are_ a team. Sure, we just lost Cole, and still can’t find Zane, but we’re a team. Just smaller.”

I nodded in agreement. “All the more reason to stick together.” With Cole gone, we had fewer people here that we could trust. Skylor seemed nice, but I wasn’t sure I could trust her. I still wanted to try and make friends with the other masters, but so far the only thing that they were interested in was being our competitors. Well...maybe except for Griffin, who would wink at me every time our gazes happened to meet.

Kai turned toward the fight, then leapt out of his seat in excitement. “Skylor’s fighting?!”

I had to snicker at his outburst. The poor boy was so infatuated with her, and it was cute to see him this way. Had I been like that when I was still pining over Lloyd?

...Yeah, pretty much.

As we talked, Skylor shot a fireball at Jacob. He brought his sitar up to protect his face, but it caught on fire.

“What has him so excited?” Garmadon inquired.

“He had a crush on her until he found out they might be related,” Jay explained.

Garmadon furrowed his eyebrows. “Her element isn’t fire,” he informed us. “She’s the Master of Amber, power of absorption. She can emulate the power of anyone she’s touched.”

At this revelation, Kai immediately perked up. “You’re telling me we’re not related?!”

Jay sighed. “Oh boy…”

“Here we go again,” I said, giggling at Kai’s renewed excitement.

Down below, Skylor used the element of sound to break another vase. Jacob, surprised, tried to gain the upper hand again, lunging for a blow dart tube that had been inside the vase. He shot the darts at her, which she dodged. They tore through the paper screen behind her, letting the wind in from outside. This seemed to confuse Jacob, and as he tried to locate her again, Skylor ran for the last vase, shattering it and grabbing the Jade Blade inside. I applauded with everyone else, impressed by her fighting skill.

“Yes!” Kai cheered, leaping out of his seat again. “Go Skylor!”

I snickered, whispering to Lloyd. “Kai and Skylor, sitting in a tree…” He chuckled at my teasing.

“Winner!” Chen declared. “And loser.” He opened a trapdoor beneath Jacob, who disappeared into it as the applause died down. “I hope the Tournament of Elements has entertained you as much as it has me. To thank you, I wanted to give everyone fancy jewels and untold shiny things.” He pulled out a box full of jewels, making a few of the masters cheer loudly. “But then, in yesterday's battle, Master Jay and Cole tried to undermine me by teaming up and refusing to fight each other! And that made me very upset.” He carelessly tossed the jewels over his shoulder, his smile gone. The other masters turned to glare at me and my friends. “For their insubordination, all of your fancy quarters will be taken away, and tonight everyone must sleep together in the chow house. That is all. Thank you, you can go.”

The other Elemental Masters all grumbled and glared at us as they stood up and began filing out of the arena.

Kai frowned as we all stood up. “Nice one, Jay,” he growled.

“Whoa, easy, Romeo,” Jay replied.

“Don’t blame him for this, Kai,” I said, defending Jay.

Lloyd leaned around his father to address them. “Don’t worry about them. We aren’t here to make friends, just to save ours.”

“Yes, but your exclusion of others has only made enemies,” Garmadon pointed out, frowning.

I huffed. “Well, I’ve been _trying_ to make friends, but _someone_ keeps refusing to let them sit with us when we eat,” I grumbled, looking pointedly at Jay.

“We were having private conversations!” Jay defended. “They don’t need to hear us plotting against Chen!”

“But don’t you think they have a right to know what he’s up to?” I countered, crossing my arms. “When we make a move against Chen, and if we need their help, do you think they’ll give it to us?”

Jay opened his mouth to speak, then closed it, unable to come up with a positive answer.

“She’s right,” Garmadon stated. “Beware how you treat those around you, for they will treat you the same.”

. . .

When we had dinner that night, I only ate a little bit, for fear of upsetting my stomach again. Garmadon, having had experience with poison before, suggested that I only eat bland foods for the time being as the poison worked its way out of my system. I happily took his advice.

Just as Chen promised, our fancy rooms were taken away, and we were all forced to sleep on uncomfortable beds in the chow house like we were at camp. It was disappointing not being able to sleep in my giant, fluffy bed after the long day, but it could’ve been much worse. I was just glad we still got beds to sleep in, instead of having to sleep on the floor or worse. 

A few of them were bunk beds, and the four of us agreed we’d prefer to sleep on those. Lloyd offered the top bunk to me, which I happily accepted; I felt safer not sleeping on the same level as everyone else. Despite the slightly uncomfortable bed, it didn’t take long for me to fall asleep, exhausted by the day’s events.

What confused me is that I woke up in the middle of the night, and could not fall back asleep. I tossed and turned, wanting more sleep, but I had no success. I was an early bird, but this was ridiculous. I had no choice but to lay still on my back and stare at the ceiling, trying to make myself sleep again. My mind wandered as I laid awake, thinking about Cole and Zane, wondering if they were okay.

Eventually, I heard rustling from down below. I tilted my head to look at the other bunk bed next to us, where Kai and Jay were sleeping. Jay pushed his covers off of him, slipping off the bottom bunk and walking over to ours.

“Couldn’t sleep either?” he asked in a whisper.

Kai followed him, and I saw Lloyd hop out of bed below me. Guess we all were having sleep troubles. I rolled off the side of my bunk, landing gracefully on my feet beside Lloyd.

“Nope,” I replied.

“Not when we still have to get Zane and Cole back,” Kai stated.

Lloyd grunted, stretching his back. “Speaking of backs, these new beds are the worst.” He then smiled. “Alright, let’s do---”

He was cut off as a gong sounded and the lights all abruptly switched on at the same moment. We saw a group of Anacondrai cultists parading into the room.

“Quick, back in bed!” Kai exclaimed.

The four of us all scurried back to our beds before the cultists spotted us, making it seem like we’d just woken up. They banged the gong multiple times, until everybody in the room was unhappily awake. Clouse walked in behind them, and I immediately knew that something big was about to happen.

“Good morning, fighters,” Clouse greeted. “Oh, that’s right---it’s the middle of the night.”

I scoffed at his words, rolling my eyes as I sat up in bed again, letting my feet dangle over the side. I watched curiously at the cultists spread around the room, each carrying something in their arms. Each of them walked up to one of us and grabbed our feet, starting to put something on them.

“Excuse me, what’s…?” I trailed off, about to yank my feet from the cultist’s grip when he backed away. He’d slipped roller skates onto my feet...but why?

“Hey, what are you doing?” Lloyd demanded as a cultist yanked his feet out from beneath the sheets and put skates on his feet, too. Everyone was getting a pair of skates.

“Do you know what time it is?” Jay complained.

Kai looked unsure as skates were put on his feet. “Roller skates?” he inquired, just as confused as the rest of us. He somehow got down off of his bunk, and tried rolling forward a few inches only to wobble and fall off his feet. “Whoa!” Luckily, he was pulled back up by Skylor. “Thanks.”

I looked off the edge of my bed, eyeing the small, thin ladder with a gulp. “And how am I supposed to get down?” I wondered aloud. It would be a bad idea to try and climb down that ladder with skates on.

Lloyd, hearing me, carefully got to his feet and looked up at me, holding his arms out. “I’ll catch you.”

“No way,” I immediately declined. “You’re wearing skates, too, and you have a sore back. That’s a recipe for disaster.”

“It’ll be fine,” he assured me, clearly confident in himself. “Trust me, Rose.”

_Trust me. Oh, he_ had _to pull that card on me._ I couldn’t refuse now. Sighing nervously, I scooched myself off the bed. The fall wasn’t long at all, and I fell right into Lloyd’s waiting arms. Even as I grasped onto his shoulders, he remained standing, only rolling backward a few inches.

“Wow,” I said, shocked that it had actually worked without incident. “I can’t believe we didn’t fall.”

Lloyd smirked at me smugly. “I’m just that good.”

I laughed at his boastful words, then pecked him on his lips to show my gratitude. “Thanks,” I told him as he set me down on my feet.

“You’re welcome, my lady,” he replied.

The two of us then let go of each other, trying to find our own balance on the skates. I had some experience with skates, thankfully, so it didn’t take me long to get decently balanced. I skated next to Lloyd, remaining at his side in case he fell.

“Let me guess, another one of Chen’s impromptu battles?” he wondered aloud.

“Probably,” I replied, wondering what exactly was in store for us that involved roller skates.

Jay approached us, expertly skating backwards. “Oh, roller skates!” he exclaimed happily. “I love roller skates!” He went around us, jumping and twirling in midair and then landing gracefully. I was pretty impressed.

Lloyd chuckled. “We should be getting used to this by now.”

Jay faced us, skating backwards again. “Did I ever mention I once placed first in the Mother-Son Skate-Off?” Once the words were out of his mouth, he cringed, chuckling in embarrassment. “I should have never admitted that…”

Lloyd and I both snickered at Jay. That was when I spotted Kai across the room, still having trouble staying balanced on his skates. I decided to go help him out.

“I’m gonna go give Kai some pointers,” I told Lloyd, who nodded. I skated across the room, stopping beside Kai, who was hugging the wall and trying not to wobble every time he let go. “Keep your knees bent,” I advised him. “It helps more than you think.”

Kai did what I told him to, letting go of the wall and bending his knees. He looked at me curiously. “I didn’t know you could skate, Aurora.”

I shrugged nonchalantly. “I’m no expert,” I assured him. “A long time ago, I had a friend who skated almost every day, and I asked her to teach me how.” Not too long after teaching me, she’d gotten adopted, taking her roller skates with her.

“Master Chen wants everyone in the Royal Arena,” Clouse announced. “I wouldn’t be late, if I were you.”

Skylor skated over to him, frowning. “If most of us have already fought, why are we _all_ in skates?”

_Good question_ , I thought.

“Only two of you will be fighting,” Clouse explained, “but the rest of you will have a chance to...affect the outcome.”

I had a bad feeling about this.

“Who’s fighting?” Griffin asked eagerly. “Tell us now.”

Clouse waved the cultists out of the room, then answered the question. “The Green Ninja versus the Master of Form.” He then backed out of the room, slamming the doors closed as he went.

I softly gasped at his words. It was Lloyd’s turn now? He was the only one of us ninja who hadn’t fought yet. Clouse said that we would have a chance to affect the outcome, and that was a huge relief for me; that would be way better than sitting on the sidelines, unable to do a thing to help Lloyd as he fought.

I coached Kai for a little bit longer, and his balance improved. At one point, I glanced briefly over at Lloyd, only to do a double-take in shock. There, talking to Lloyd, was...me?! Well, she obviously wasn’t me, but she looked exactly like me. She was also standing very close to Lloyd--too close--and was grinning as she circled him. Lloyd didn’t seem to know that she wasn’t me---and how could he?

Baffled and slightly angered, I left Kai and skated right over to them.

“...But you’re the Green Ninja,” I heard the fake me say to Lloyd. Even her voice sounded like me! “What weakness could you have?”

Lloyd winced in pain. “Aside from the sore back, not many.”

“Hey! Copycat!” I yelled, skating over to stand in between her and Lloyd. It was very strange staring myself in the face and it not being in a mirror. “Who do you think you are? Because you’re not me, that’s for sure!”

“A-Aurora?!” Lloyd exclaimed, shocked at seeing double. He started shaking his head, trying to make sense of what he was seeing.

Fake me snickered, her voice changing to a higher pitch. “Watch your back, Green Ninja,” she said ominously. As she skated away, her form shifted to reveal a purple-haired girl. The Master of Form.

I growled after she left. “She’s so gonna get it…” Nobody messed with my boy and got away with it.

Jay, who had previously been dancing around the room, rolled to a stop next to us. “That was weird to watch.”

Kai slowly joined us, too. “Skates,” he grumbled. “Why did it have to be skates?” He stumbled and fell again.

I helped him back up. “Skates or no skates, we’re gonna win this,” I stated, very determined to defeat the Master of Form. “Right, Lloyd?”

Lloyd smiled at me, nodding. “You bet we are.”

The four of us followed everyone else out toward the Royal Arena. We skated down a hallway after the other Elemental Masters. I was already used to the skates, and Lloyd was doing pretty well on his own. Kai was getting better, but he still had trouble balancing himself.

“I don’t like the look of this,” Lloyd muttered.

“Don’t worry,” I told him, placing a comforting hand on his arm. “We’ve got your back.”

“Darn right we do,” Kai agreed confidently, before falling flat on his back again.

Lloyd looked at me. “How are you feeling, by the way?” he asked, ever concerned for my well-being.

“One-hundred percent better,” I informed him, smiling brightly. It was true: I no longer felt weak or light-headed, and my nausea was now only a bad memory. I was still a little tired, but that was easily ignored. “I’m ready for anything.”

He chuckled at my enthusiasm. “Glad to hear it.”

We all skated up out of the tunnel and suddenly found ourselves inside a huge roller skating course that circled the entire room. Upbeat, peppy music played on the PA system overhead, and sitting outside the course on the far side was a giant scoreboard. Lloyd and I exchanged a confused look.

“Welcome to my favorite event!” Chen announced. We all turned to look behind us, seeing Chen skating through the course toward us. “Thunderblade!”

Griffin smiled. “Hey, I know this game. It’s just like---”

“No, it’s not like that!” Chen immediately interjected, coming up beside us. Next to him on the railing was a collection of green helmets and orange helmets. “This is _my_ game. I made it up! Fully original!” He pulled a Jade Blade out of nowhere and picked up a green helmet. “A Jade Blade for you, Lloyd, Master of Energy.” He tossed Lloyd the two items, then pulled another blade out. “And another for Chamille, Master of Form.” He looked around for her, but she was nowhere in sight. “Where---? Where are you?”

The random cultist next to me and Lloyd suddenly morphed into Chamille, smirking proudly. I rolled my eyes to the sky. _Show-off_.

“Oh there you are,” Chen said, chuckling in amusement as he tossed her the blade and an orange helmet. “Rules are simple. Each lap you complete with your blade in possession, a point. Most points before time expires, you win.”

I looked at the numerous green and orange helmets that were still sitting on the railing. I had a feeling I knew where this was going.

“Whoa whoa whoa,” Griffin interjected. “What about us? Are we supposed to just stand here?”

Chen smirked. “You get to help anyone you wish---or hurt, for that matter. You’re free to choose sides. I’m not a dictator.”

The other Elemental Masters, glaring at us ninja, all skated up to the helmets and each grabbed an orange one, joining Chamille’s side. They all huddled together, and Jay, Kai, Lloyd, and I were left on our own. It was six against four.

“What was that you said about us having targets on our backs?” Lloyd asked Jay.

I sighed, nudging Jay. “ _This_ is why I wanted to try and make friends.” Now we were paying the price for ousting the other masters.

Kai skated between us, trying to balance himself. “Don’t worry. We’re still a team--- Aah!” He fell on his face as he spoke, and I helped him stand back up again.

Jay sighed. “I gotta be honest. This doesn’t look good.”

“Hey,” I interjected, grabbing the boys’ attention, “we’re only outnumbered by two. We’ve faced worse odds before, right? If we can win against Nindroids and an indestructible Stone Army, we can definitely win this.”

My words seemed to encourage the boys, and they nodded in agreement. Kai, Jay, and I went to grab green helmets, then put them on as we joined everyone at the starting line. As we did, I spotted Sensei Garmadon, wondering where he had come from. He was standing by Clouse near Chen’s throne.

I stopped Lloyd before he could get to his starting line. “Hang on a moment,” I told him. He gave me a confused look, and I responded by leaning over to kiss him. He made a noise of surprise, then hummed pleasantly. I pulled away after a long moment, smiling at him. “For luck,” I said, returning the favor from yesterday before my fight.

Lloyd smiled at me lovingly. “Thanks. We’re probably gonna need it.”

“You mean Kai’s gonna need it,” I stated, gesturing backward to the poor Master of Fire, who was still wobbling on his skates and fighting to remain still.

Lloyd and I reluctantly parted ways. He and Chamille were starting a little ways ahead of the rest of us. I skated over to the other masters and stopped between Jay and Kai. I let Kai grab my shoulder for balance as we waited for the fight to begin.

Chen climbed onto his throne, which sat beneath a spotlight. “Lloyd, Master of Energy, versus Chamille, Master of Form! Most laps with their Jade Blade when time runs out wins. Loser is out. Thunderbladers, on your mark, get set, good luck to everyone---but mostly Chamille because we all want the Green Ninja out.”

I glared up at him. “Hey!”

“Now go!”

A horn blared loudly, and Lloyd and Chamille both sprang into action, skating ahead with their Jade Blades in hand. A spotlight followed them as they skated. I mentally cheered for Lloyd and readied myself, waiting for our time to go.

“Ooh, how about some spectator ambience?” Chen suggested. He hit a button on his throne, and some ambient audience cheering came out over the PA system in front of the music.

Another horn finally blared, and everyone else started skating. Jay and I immediately skated to the front of the group, with Kai trailing close behind us.

“It’s us against the world, guys,” Jay told me and Kai. “If Lloyd has any chance of moving forward in the tournament, it’s up to the three of us.”

I nodded. “Don’t have to tell me twice!” 

I kicked my legs into overdrive, skating like the wind and moving in front of the other masters with Jay. They immediately tried to stop us, purposely running into us and shoving us. But I didn’t let them deter me; nothing would stop me from helping Lloyd win.

Lloyd and Chamille eventually came up behind us, having completed a lap already. The other masters let Chamille skate right on through them--I unfortunately missed my chance to stop her--but they blocked Lloyd’s path.

“Guys, we have to give him room,” I told Jay and Kai.

“And just how are we supposed to do that?” Kai asked.

Jay smirked. “I’ve got an idea. Don’t touch anyone.”

Kai wobbled. “Then who am I supposed to hold on to?”

Jay went behind the orange team, using his lightning to shock all of them. I grinned as they were electrocuted and Lloyd was able to easily push them aside.

“Thanks!” Lloyd shouted as he moved ahead.

“Nice one, Jay!” I praised him.

Kai grabbed onto Lloyd as he pushed his way through. Unfortunately, he accidentally fell on him, causing Lloyd to tumble to the ground with him. I facepalmed, skating over to them. _Really, Kai?_

“Use your powers!” Kai urged Lloyd.

“Are you crazy?” Lloyd exclaimed as he quickly stood up. “I’d never stay on the track!”

As he skated away, Jay and I helped Kai to his feet.

“You’re supposed to be helping, not hurting his chances!” Jay scolded him.

“Thanks for the tip, but I can’t skate!” Kai snapped, clearly frustrated.

I sighed. “Guys, can we not argue right now? We have to help Lloyd before Chamille gets too far ahead!”

I zoomed ahead, and the two of them followed me. I weaved my way through the other masters, trying to catch up with Lloyd. He and Chamille both kept scoring, but Chamille was still a point ahead of him. I eventually caught up with him, helping him shove the orange team out of his way.

Suddenly, a ramp popped up out of nowhere, right in front of us. Lloyd and I were launched off of it, but we both rolled when we hit the ground and got right back on our feet, not stopping for a second. We spotted Jay skating ahead of us, and I saw him accidentally whip Chamille forward, who had been impersonating Lloyd. Because that was so fair.

As we caught up with Jay, the Master of Shadow suddenly disappeared.

“Wait,” Jay exclaimed, “where’d the Master of Shadow go?!”

We soon received our answer. He came out of nowhere, taking us by surprise and striking Lloyd’s back, where it was sore. It made him drop his Jade Blade, and Paleman swooped in and picked it up. 

Growling, I zoomed forward with Jay, intent on getting it back. An idea popped into my head, and I turned to Jay excitedly. “Hey Jay, up for a fireworks show?”

He grinned at the idea, immediately knowing what I was talking about. “Let’s do it!”

I skated a little closer to the group of masters in front of us, then summoned a medium-sized ball of light in my hand. Raising my arm, I tossed it into the midst of them, right next to where Paleman was. Jay immediately shot a bolt of lightning straight at my light ball, and the orb exploded into a shower of sparks and light. It looked like a mini firework had been set off. It made all the masters around it stumble and fall, and Paleman dropped Lloyd’s Jade Blade. Jay swooped in and swiped it from the air as he, Lloyd, and I all skated ahead. Jay and I cheered, exchanging a high-five.

“Awesome!” I exclaimed.

“You didn’t learn that in your Mother-Son Skate-Off, did you?” Lloyd remarked as he caught up with us.

“It was a fierce competition, Lloyd,” Jay informed him, handing him the Jade Blade, “and this isn’t the time to judge. It’s the time to skate faster!”

The three of us skated ahead, crossing the finish line. Another point was added to Lloyd’s score, but Chamille was still ahead by one point. Lloyd skated with the blade, and Jay and I fought anybody who tried to get in his way, pushing and shoving and using our elements if we had to. Kai, meanwhile, lagged behind, still unable to skate properly. This actually proved useful, as Griffin didn’t look where he was going and tripped over Kai.

“Release the buggy!” Chen shouted.

Another hatch suddenly popped up behind us, and a large buggy zoomed out of it. _Are you kidding me?!_ I thought incredulously. I looked backward, and was shocked to see it right behind us.

“Look out, Lloyd!” I yelled, tackling Lloyd out of the way of the buggy.

As we quickly got back on our feet, we heard familiar laughter. I looked to see Chamille holding onto the buggy, hitching a ride and letting it zoom her around the course.

“She has the lead, _and_ she gets a lift?!” Lloyd exclaimed. “I know Chen wants me out, but this is getting ridiculous!”

“No kidding,” I agreed. “I’d say this is cheating, but this _is_ his tournament…” Unfortunately, he made the rules, even if they were unfair.

Lloyd and I got ourselves going again, but not even a minute later, the buggy came zooming around again. We avoided it, but it brought more hitchikers than before. Neuro, Paleman, and the Master of Shadow all surrounded Lloyd, grabbing him. Jay and I immediately tried to pry them off, but Neuro shoved Jay aside. As I struggled to get Paleman and the Master of Shadow off of Lloyd, Griffin zoomed up on Jay’s other side, smirking.

“Check this out!” he shouted.

Neuro nodded in understanding, reading his mind. “Gotcha.”

Before I could react, Griffin suddenly zoomed over, grabbed me, and sped away with me. I screamed as I was overwhelmed by the incredible speed I was now moving at.

“Let go of me!” I shouted, trying to get out of his grip.

“We don’t have to fight, hot stuff,” Griffin reasoned, smirking at me. “It’s not too late for you to join the winning team.”

_He can’t be serious!_ “Uh, newsflash: I’m already on the winning team!” I retorted, making it clear that I wasn’t interested. “Sorry, Speedy. I don’t betray the people I care about.”

Griffin sighed, almost sadly. “Suit yourself.”

We quickly arrived back at where Jay and Lloyd were. Neuro shoved Jay into Lloyd, and the others let go of him as Griffin practically tossed me into the two of them too fast. I crashed into their backs, sending the three of us tumbling onto the ground.

“Ow…” I groaned, my whole body aching. “That’s gonna leave a mark…”

“We are so not loved,” Jay grumbled.

I was growing very tired of everybody ganging up on us---but I refused to let them defeat me. We had to keep going. A hand appeared in my face, and I grabbed it, letting Lloyd haul me up.

“This did wonders for my back, though,” Lloyd informed us.

“Wait, really?” I asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise. “Well then, I suppose getting bodily launched at you was worth it.”

As we started skating again, we saw Kai ahead of us, using his fire to rapidly propel himself forward. He caught up with Chamille, grabbing her and yanking her off of the buggy hauling her around. The two went tumbling onto the ground, and Jay grabbed her dropped Jade Blade as we skated past them. I grabbed Lloyd’s arm and whipped him forward, letting him cross the line and get another point. I remained with Jay, laughing as he skated backwards and taunted Chamille.

“I got it, you want it!” he sang. “Come and get it! Come and get it!”

Chamille glared at us, but as she tried to grab the blade, Jay and I shoved her aside, causing her to crash into a few of the other masters on her team. They all tumbled into a pile, and as Lloyd came around the bend, he leapt over them gracefully. As he came up behind us, Jay and I whipped him forward again so he’d gain more speed. After that, we caught up with Kai, who was just now leaving the buggy.

“Lloyd’s closing the gap, but the clock’s against us,” Jay informed him, still holding Chamille’s Jade Blade.

“So is everyone else,” I reminded them grimly.

Kai sighed. “Garmadon’s right. The more we exclude everyone, the more they gang up on us.”

Jay raised an eyebrow. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying why don’t we tell them about Chen?” Kai suggested.

I lit up at the suggestion. “Great idea! If the others knew what this tournament was really about, I’d bet they’d help us.” Really, we should’ve told them when we’d first found out. But would they believe us?

“Uh, worth a try,” Jay replied, “but time’s running out, and Lloyd’s got a lot of ground to make up.”

Just then, Chamille popped out of nowhere, slamming into Jay and making her drop her Jade Blade. “Gimme!” she yelled as she plucked it from the air. “I’ve got a job to finish!”

“Hey!” I exclaimed, immediately chasing after her with Jay. 

She pulled away from us, closing in on Lloyd. I saw another ramp pop up in front of them, and Chamille tried slashing Lloyd’s legs with her Jade Blade, which he narrowly avoided. She landed off balance and fell on her rear, making me snicker as I passed her.

Catching up with Kai again, I saw him talking with Skylor and Paleman. He must’ve been telling them about Chen. He was also holding onto Skylor’s arm for balance, and she was letting him, which I thought was cute.

I spotted Griffin trailing behind them, cursed my kind heart, then decided to go up to him and inform him of the situation. I explained it all to him as quickly as I could.

“This isn’t about Lloyd winning,” I told him after I finished. “It’s about all of us stopping Chen.”

“And why are you telling me this now?” Griffin wondered aloud.

Lloyd came up on his other side, smiling. “Because it’s never too late to do the right thing.”

Neuro came up behind us. “They’re telling the truth,” he assured Griffin. “I know.”

“Then why have you _now_ decided to help?” Jay asked him.

“I’d rather be on the winning team,” he explained.

“Then let’s win this thing!” Lloyd exclaimed, grabbing Neuro’s hand as the Master of Mind whipped him forward. 

I grinned, following closely behind him. He was close to closing the gap, and I vowed to not let anything stand in his way. As we crossed the finish line once more, I heard a familiar rumbling, and looked backward to see the buggy zooming toward us again. I was about to push Lloyd out of the way, but then spotted Kai in the driver’s seat. He drove up next to us, smirking.

“Need a lift?” Kai asked us.

I laughed in amazement. “Nice ride, Kai!”

“You took the buggy!” Lloyd exclaimed in surprise.

“ _We_ took the buggy,” Kai corrected, gesturing to Skylor, who sat behind him. “Take the wheel!”

Lloyd immediately hopped into the driver’s seat as Kai and Skylor leapt out of the buggy. “Come on, Aurora!” he urged me, using his energy to trick out the buggy with his trademark green and gold colors.

“Right behind you!” I assured him, hopping into the seat behind him.

As soon as I was in, Lloyd put the pedal to the metal, zooming around the course rapidly. He and I cheered as we flew past the other masters, making lap after lap around the course and quickly gaining more points. Chen tried using traps to stop us, but Lloyd easily avoided them. The other masters also helped make sure we weren’t hindered in any way. I cheered in glee as Lloyd quickly became tied with Chamille.

Time was almost out, and it was clear that this would be the final lap. Lloyd spotted Chamille up ahead, and pulled up alongside her as she skated toward the finish line as quickly as she could.

“We don’t have to keep fighting each other,” Lloyd told her. “We can all win.”

Chamille looked up at us, hopeful. “All of us?”

Lloyd nodded, offering her his hand. “United.”

Chamille smiled, reaching for his hand. Once she grabbed it, however, she yanked him out of the buggy, making it roll to a stop as she skated away.

“Only one can remain,” she stated.

“Oh no she didn’t!” I shouted angrily, immediately hopping out of the buggy and helping Lloyd to his feet. Lloyd was offering to make peace, and she just threw it in his face! She was so gonna get it. If I could stop her, Lloyd could claim the final point he needed to win. “Come on, Lloyd, let’s get her!”

I kicked my tired legs into overdrive, picking up speed as I grabbed Lloyd’s arm and whipped him forward with all the strength I had left. He used the momentum to launch himself off a ramp and catch up with Chamille. The two of them shoved each other, then fought with their Jade Blades, whacking them against one another like they were epicly sword fighting.

_The Jade Blade!_ That was it!

Skating like the wind, I skated faster and faster, gradually catching up with them. I saw Chamille shoving Lloyd repeatedly as she desperately tried to get ahead of him, not letting go. I picked up a little more speed, then charged straight for her, nearly flying through the air.

“Get your hands off my boy!”

Chamille glanced backward at my shout, only for me to tackle her to the ground right as she looked. Lloyd looked back at us as he skated ahead, and I frantically waved him onward.

“Go, Lloyd, go!” I urged him.

He shot me a thankful grin, skating onward.

Chamille fought with me for a moment, but was able to push me off of her so she could stand up. “I will not lose!” she stated, rapidly skating away as soon as she had stood up.

I remained still as I watched her go, chuckling to myself knowingly. “Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure,” I mumbled, slowly picking myself up off the ground.

I leisurely skated my way over to the finish line, watching Lloyd and Chamille race for it. Chamille caught back up with Lloyd and tripped him, then leapt over his head. He held up his Jade Blade to trip her in midair, making her fall down again. I mentally cheered for him as he and Chamille raced, neck-and-neck, both so close to the finish line. Chamille slowly pulled ahead of Lloyd, but I wasn’t worried in the least. I stopped beside Kai and Jay, who were anxiously watching with everyone else as the clock neared zero.

Jay looked over at me and noticed my wide smile. “Why are you smiling?! Lloyd’s about to lose!”

“Wait for it,” was all I told him, my hands behind my back.

Just as the clock struck zero, Chamille and Lloyd both crossed the finish line, Chamille a foot ahead of Lloyd. The horn blared loudly to mark the end of the fight, and Lloyd and Chamille both stopped beyond the line. Chamille was grinning in triumph, and Jay and Kai both made noises of despair.

But then Lloyd smirked, holding his Jade Blade high in the air as the spectator ambience cheered over the PA.

Chamille, however, looked down at her hands, finally realizing that her Jade Blade was not in them.

Jay gasped. “She doesn’t have her blade!”

I chuckled triumphantly. “No, she doesn’t,” I confirmed. I loudly whistled, grabbing Chamille’s attention as she looked around for her lost blade. Making the smuggest crap-eating grin I could muster, I pulled my hand out from behind by back, holding her Jade Blade up next to me as she stared at me in shock. In her hurry to get away from me, she hadn’t noticed me swiping her Jade Blade from her hand.

“What?!” she shouted angrily. Her half-shocked, half-furious face was hilarious, and I had to laugh. As I said before: nobody messed with my boy.

“No way!” Jay yelled in shock. “Aurora has it?!”

“Lloyd won!” Kai exclaimed happily.

We all skated over to where Lloyd stood in his victory pose. Everyone was cheering for him, even the other Elemental Masters. I threw my arms around Lloyd’s neck from behind, leaning over his shoulder to give him a victory kiss on his cheek. The two of us laughed as Kai and Jay cheered in triumph. Once again, we had beaten the odds.

Our celebration was cut short by Chen screaming. “No, no, no!” he shouted, getting out of his chair. “They cheated! Lloyd loses!”

Griffin skated to the front of the group. “No way,” he protested. “Lloyd won fair and square. You were the one who cheated.”

“My tournament, my rules,” Chen reminded him, hopping back onto his throne and stubbornly turning away from us.

“And just what rules are those?” Skylor asked, frowning up at Chen.

I scoffed, letting go of Lloyd and stepping forward to stand by her side. I crossed my arms defiantly. I’d had just about enough of Chen and his ways. “You know what? If Lloyd’s out, then so am I.”

“Me too,” Kai agreed, skating up to stand beside Skylor.

“And me three,” Jay added, coming up on my other side.

Skylor spoke up again. “If you kick us all out, what kind of tournament will you have then?”

Chen turned back around and exchanged a look with Clouse. He grumbled in frustration, then threw his hands into the air. “Fine, have it your way! Form loses.” 

He pressed a button, sending Chamille down into a trapdoor. The others and I cheered at our victory.

“Woo-hoo!” I shouted, hugging Lloyd.

“Alright!” Jay exclaimed. “We won!”

Skylor came up to us, lowering her voice. “If what you say is true, you are playing a dangerous game. Chen will find other ways to get you out of the tournament.”

“Which is why we’ll need all the friends we can get,” Kai stated. “There’s always hope.”


	7. Episode 42: Spy for a Spy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is one imposter among us.
> 
> Who could it be?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had to make an Among Us joke. XD
> 
> This episode is unfortunately a little short. But things start happening next time! I can't wait!
> 
> Enjoy!  
> \---------------

A day later, the first round of fights had officially been concluded. Those of us that remained were currently attending a celebratory feast in the palace. We were all sitting at a curved table piled high with fancy foods, facing Chen on his throne at the back of the room. The Kabuki were dancing and carrying around trays of more food---some of which was stuff I’d never even heard of before.

I was trying to enjoy myself---after all, I had reason to be in a good mood. We’d made it past the first round, and we’d successfully formed an alliance with the other masters (all except one, anyway.) We deserved to relax for a day.

But Lloyd refused to relax, which made me have a hard time relaxing, too. We’d openly defied Chen yesterday, and despite him giving into our demands, Lloyd was still worried that it would have repercussions. I was honestly worried about it, too, but we were in a much better place than before. We had more people on our side now, so if Chen made any moves against us, we’d unite to stop him.

A Kabuki stopped between where Lloyd and I were sitting, offering us a plate of...something. It was a pile of small, disgusting eggs covered in slime. We both made noises of disgust at it.

“Try the horned wasp eggs,” Chen urged us from where he sat on his throne. “Delicious!”

“Uh, I-I think we’ll pass,” Lloyd replied, daring to gingerly poke the eggs while I tried not to gag.

“Oh, lighten up, Green Ninja,” Chen told him. “This isn’t a trick. This is a feast to celebrate the eight of you making it to the second round!”

The Kabuki all laughed and clapped at his words. One of them set what looked like a soup full of eyeballs near me, and I immediately wrinkled my nose at the foul stench it was emitting.

“I think I’ve lost my appetite…” I muttered.

Kai leaned over to face Lloyd. “You can relax, Lloyd,” he assured him. “Even if there was a fight, now that we told the others about Chen’s dirty plot to steal our powers, we’re safe in our secret alliance.”

That reminded me of something, and I turned the other way to look over at Griffin. “Any luck?” I whispered to him.

Griffin shrugged. “I tried to enlist Shadow,” he informed me, “but that dude’s throwing some serious shade.”

I glanced over at Shade, the gray-skinned Master of Shadow, who was sitting at the end of the table and happily eating his food. He’d just beaten Paleman in the latest fight, and he was the only master who had expressed no interest in our secret alliance.

“Well, if you plan to stop Chen, you’ll need everyone on board,” Sensei Garmadon reminded us. “Each fighter that loses gives him strength. Soon he'll be too powerful for even all of you combined to overcome.”

He was right. Chen already possessed so many elemental powers, including Cole’s earth and Zane’s ice; it would already be quite a challenge to stop him. If he managed to get all of our powers, I shuddered to think of what he would use them for. Garmadon had said that he didn’t think the spell Neuro saw would be to transfer all the elements to Chen, so I wondered what exactly he was planning to do with them.

Whatever it was, it would be something really, really bad.

Lloyd turned to me. “How do we get Shadow on our side?”

I raised an eyebrow. “You’re asking me?”

“Well, you’re better at making friends than I am,” Lloyd pointed out, grabbing an eggroll and munching on it.

“Eh, most of the time,” I replied, smirking in amusement. “We’ve told him all about Chen’s plan, but he still wants to be a lone wolf. I think our best bet is to find Clouse’s spellbook, and find out what exactly that spell does. That way, if it’s something really bad--which it will be--it’ll be enough to convince him to join us to help stop Chen. Not even he will want his elemental power taken away, especially if---”

Before I could finish talking, Chen stood up to address us, cutting me off. “It has come to my attention that there are rumors floating about that I am stealing everyone's power,” he stated bluntly. The Kabuki served us fortune cookies as he spoke. He then smirked knowingly. “I am.”

Everyone collectively gasped. _He just...admits it?_ What was he playing at?

“But it's all for this staff,” Chen explained. He clapped, and the Kabuki posed and waved their hand fans around, thinking he was referring to them. “No, no! Not you, staff. I mean my real staff.” 

A side door opened, and in walked a Kabuki holding the same ornate snake staff that we’d seen at the ceremony we’d snuck into. As the Kabuki handed it up to Chen, I noticed that the crystal inside the snake’s mouth was glowing with a lot more colors than before. Everyone whispered nervously amongst themselves, and I exchanged an uneasy look with Lloyd.

“The Staff of Elements,” Chen introduced, holding it high for everyone to see. “It holds the power of your fallen foes, and soon it'll hold all but one. For the last standing in my tournament will win this prize, and be the greatest fighter ever in the history of Ninjago!”

The other masters’ open mouths were replaced with wide, excited smiles. A sinking feeling formed inside me. _Don’t tell me they’re actually buying this…_

Lloyd wasn’t having it. “You lie!” he exclaimed, calling Chen out. “What about the spell?”

“Spell?” Clouse echoed, his tone falsely confused. “What spell?”

“Don’t believe him,” Lloyd urged the other masters. “It’s just another trick! Neuro read Clouse’s mind and saw it.” He turned to the Master of Mind. “Tell them what you saw, Neuro.”

Neuro sat like a deer caught in headlights as everyone turned to him expectantly. He looked up at Clouse, who was giving him a subtle warning glare. After an uncertain pause, he spoke. “I… I don’t remember,” he said, making my mouth drop open. “Truthfully, I'm a bit more interested in knowing more about that staff.”

“And why should we be so quick to believe everything _you_ say?” Griffin added. “How do we know you're not lying to get the staff for yourself?”

My mouth remained agape, and I was too shocked to close it. _What am I hearing right now?_ After what we had all been through yesterday, they were all so quick to trust Chen’s word again? _Where’s their common sense?!_ I wanted to tell him off, but something told me that arguing right now would be pointless.

Garmadon sighed. “So much for the alliance.”

I turned back to my friends, still shocked at this turn of events. “Do they really believe him over us?” I asked incredulously.

“If we’re gonna convince anyone,” Jay said, pausing for a moment to wave away a Kabuki who was fanning herself a little too close to him, “we need proof.” He pushed her fan away as she came close again. “We need to,” he waved her away again, “find that spell.” He finally turned to her, shouting, “Would you cut it out?!”

The Kabuki lowered her fan, revealing her face---a very familiar face. “Jay, it’s me.” The red and white face paint disguised her well, but there was no doubting who it was.

“Nya?!” the five of us softly exclaimed in surprise. How in the world was she here?!

“Lower your voices!” Nya hissed at us, shielding her face with her fan. “I’m undercover---and to be completely honest, a bit out of my element.” She then smiled down at Jay, placing a hand on his shoulder. “And I heard what happened to Cole. That was big of you both.”

Jay grabbed onto her hand fondly. “Love is like war, Nya,” he stated. “Everybody gets hurt.”

I grinned. “Boy are we glad to see you, Nya!” I whispered to her.

“Is it just you, sis?” Kai asked.

Nya held up her bracelet. “Dareth’s also on the island.”

The red jewel in her bracelet lit up, and Dareth’s voice came out of the communication device inside. “ _What up, ninja?_ ” he greeted.

“And in contact with Wu via mobile base,” Nya added.

With our alliance starting to crumble, it was great to have some good news. Nya couldn’t have come at a better time.

“If you’re undercover, that means you can get close to Clouse's spellbook,” Kai told her. “All we know is that it's on page one forty-nine. I think he might have it in his quarters.”

Nya nodded. “I’ll look into it,” she assured us. “And it sounds like you have your work cut out for you, too.”

Jay frowned. “How so?”

“How do you think they found out about your little alliance?” she inquired. “Someone in your circle of trust is a spy.”

“A spy?!” the five of us softly exclaimed.

_That would make sense,_ I realized. _How else would they know that we knew about the staff?_

Nya couldn’t say any more, having to duck away to avoid suspicion. As she left, Skylor walked over to us, stopping next to Kai.

“Do you know that servant girl?” she asked him curiously, placing a hand on his shoulder. I could tell that she was only asking him to get a reaction out of him, and I had to hide a smile.

“Uh--- Know that girl?” Kai stuttered, scrambling to explain. “Uh, heh, of course not. Why? Jealous?”

Skylor didn’t answer him, but instead held up a red slip of paper, like the ones in the fortune cookies. “My fortune tells me Cole and your friend Zane will be breaking out.” She handed it to Kai before leaving. “You're lucky this didn't end up in the wrong hands.”

Kai read the message from Cole and gasped. “He--- He found Zane,” he announced, making us all turn to him. “I can’t believe it! Thanks, Skylor!”

A large smile spread over my face at the news. Not only did we now know that Cole was okay, we knew that he had finally found Zane. When we went after Cole, Zane would be with him. I could hardly wait to see them both again.

“It's good to know that there are some people here we can trust,” Kai commented.

“A spy?” Jay said. “Who do you think it is?”

Lloyd frowned, leering over at Shade. “I have my suspicions.”

I, however, wasn’t so sure. “I don’t know, Lloyd,” I whispered, looking at Shade then back to him. Sure, he was sketchy and suspicious, but was he really spy material? “In all the books and movies, it’s never the person you most suspect.”

. . .

By some miracle, Chen had decided to give us our fancy suites back. His reasoning had been that the eight remaining Elemental Masters “deserved suitable commendations for winners of our stature,” or something like that. Either way, it confused me, but I wasn’t complaining.

My friends and I were all gathered in Kai’s suite, along with Neuro, Griffin, Skylor, and Shade. We’d somehow been able to convince them to meet with us, informing them that there was a spy among us and we needed to figure out who they were. I was also secretly hoping to try and repair what remained of our alliance.

We all stood in a circle in the center of the room---except for Shade and Neuro, who were sitting on Kai’s bed. I stood between Kai and Lloyd near the entrance. Garmadon stood behind us, facing away and watching the door.

“Like I said, I ain't joining your little alliance,” Shade grumbled. “I'm gunning for that staff.”

I had to resist the urge to roll my eyes.

“Hey, this isn't about an alliance,” Lloyd stated. “This is about finding out who is the spy. No one leaves this room until we find out who is passing information to Chen.”

Everyone started casting suspicious glances at one another. My mind worked in the tense silence, trying to figure out who the spy could be. I immediately ruled out Griffin, because come on, him as a spy? He was definitely not the type. Shade was still incredibly sketchy and unfriendly, but I still didn’t think it was him, either. That just left Neuro and Skylor.

Neuro could read minds, which could allow him to easily spy on other people without arousing suspicion. He hadn’t wanted to help us except for when it suited him, and he could’ve easily lied to us about seeing the spell page in Clouse’s head, telling us whatever the dark magic user wanted him to tell us. But what purpose would that serve him? He’d seen what had happened to Karlof when he’d looked into Lloyd’s head. What reason would he have to spy for Chen before today?

Then there was Skylor, who had been a mystery from the beginning. She’d been nice to Kai and me, but mainly looked out for herself. But if she was the spy, then why would she give us Cole’s message? She could’ve just as easily thrown it away and not tell us at all. If she was working with Chen, then why would she help us like that? What reason would she even have to spy for Chen?

There was also the possibility that nobody could be a spy at all---but Nya was almost never wrong about these things.

The more I thought about it, the more my head hurt.

Shade frowned at Lloyd when he noticed him leering at him. “Why are you looking at me, Greenie? I'm not your spy.”

“Perhaps I can help,” Neuro announced. He put his hand to his temple, closing his eyes as he used his mind power on everyone in the room. When he was finished, he frowned. “I don't know who, but someone here isn't who they say they are.”

Skylor frowned at him. “How do we know we can trust _you_ ? Maybe I should use your power and see inside _your_ head.”

“I’d like to see you try, power hoarder,” Neuro snapped, standing up to confront her.

I decided that now was a good time to speak up. “Calm down, everyone,” I gently urged, stepping in between Skylor and Neuro before a fight could break out. “This is what Chen wants, for us to fight and divide ourselves. But we don't have to. There has to be a more civilized way to figure this out...”

“There is,” Garmadon announced. “Everyone who's ever worked for Chen has the Anacondrai tattoo on their back. Find the tattoo, find the spy.”

“Now that is a good idea,” I stated.

“Anyone object?” Lloyd asked.

Nobody answered him, but Neuro stepped up. He pulled his tunic down to expose his back, revealing no sign of any tattoo.

“Can I go now?” he asked, already heading for the door.

Lloyd put an arm out to stop him. “Not until we check everyone,” he stated. “Who’s next?”

“Let’s get it on!” Griffin exclaimed enthusiastically. He quickly pulled his karate gi aside, revealing no tattoo on his back, either. Like I said: could Griffin really be an evil spy?

Behind Griffin, Kai and Jay got into a line, Shade and Skylor stepping behind them. We knew that none of us ninjas were the spy, of course, but we still had to prove that to the other masters if we wanted to earn their trust. After Griffin, we checked both Kai and Jay, who of course had no tattoos. Lloyd and I also showed our lack of tattoos to put everyone’s minds at ease.

I sighed, looking over at Shade and Skylor. “Well, only two left.”

Kai walked up to Skylor, looking sheepish. “Uh, I hate to do this, but it’s your turn,” he told her softly. “Can I see your back, please?”

“How could you not trust me?” Skylor immediately protested. “I came to you with the fortune cookie---”

“I’m sorry, but we all have to know,” Kai told her.

Why was she getting defensive all of a sudden? All the others had no problem showing their backs.

Skylor frowned, then moved to show her back.

“Wait,” Lloyd interjected before she could. “Where’d Shadow go?!”

Everyone glanced around, but Shade had vanished, nowhere to be seen. _Oh crap._

“He disappeared through his own shadow!” Jay exclaimed.

Griffin pointed to a dark corner of the room. “There he is! Get him!”

“I ain’t your spy,” Shade growled, “and I ain’t your friend, either. That staff will be mine!”

Lloyd immediately summoned an orb of energy, shooting it at him. Shade vanished before it could hit him, but the energy orb hit the wall instead, causing the giant portrait of Kai to fall on top of Jay.

“Aah!” Jay yelled, trapped beneath the heavy portrait. “My leg! Get Kai off of me!”

I rushed over to help him, knowing how painful it was to have something heavy crush your leg. As I did, Shade reappeared near the doors, and Garmadon tried to stop him. He grabbed Shade before he could run out the door, but Shade struggled out of his grip.

“You cast a long shadow, old man,” Shade said before vanishing and running out of the suite. He was gone.

“It was Shadow,” Neuro stated. “He must be the spy.”

Despite what had just happened...I still wasn’t sure. I was struggling to lift the heavy portrait off of Jay, so Lloyd and Griffin both rushed over to help me. We eventually threw the painting off of Jay, and I helped him to his feet as he cried out in pain.

As I looked over Jay’s leg, I saw Neuro and Skylor leaving. Before Skylor could leave, Kai stopped her, looking apologetic.

“Skylor, look, I’m sorry,” he told her.

“Don’t,” she snapped. “And if you still think I'm the spy, watch me walk out that door.” She pulled down the back of her outfit to reveal no Anacondrai tattoo. After that, she left without another word, Griffin speeding out after her.

Jay sighed. “What happened to our alliance?”

Lloyd shook his head sadly. “What alliance?”


	8. Episode 43: Spellbound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next stage of the tournament begins. To advance, we have to...find Nya?!
> 
> The tournament is coming to an abrupt end, but the war has just begun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now we start getting into the real battle. I'm both excited for and dreading what's to come. But at least we get to reunite with Zane very very soon!
> 
> Okay, I need some advice. Remember in Book 3 where I had a chapter right before the finale that was mostly just Aurora escaping and doing her own thing, rather than going along exactly with the events of the show and being with everyone else the whole time? Did you guys like that? Because I was thinking of writing something similar for this season's finale. But I can't decide whether I should do it or not; it'll be interesting, but I'm not sure it'll be THAT interesting. What do you guys think? I'd love to hear what you'd rather see! (Mostly because I'm a HUGE people pleaser and it's a real problem...)
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter!  
> \---------------

This was the first time I had ever ridden in a blimp.

It was kind of nice, being a passenger and not having to worry about steering yourself. It was kind of like being aboard the Destiny’s Bounty again. But, it just didn’t compare to riding on the back of a dragon. The wind whipping in your face, the companionship, the feeling of being utterly free… Sometimes, I really missed Ultra-Dragon. I also wished that I could conjure my own dragon, like Lloyd could, but I didn’t know how. Maybe it was something only he could do.

The social atmosphere was so tense that you could almost physically feel it. The eight of us Elemental Masters that remained, plus Sensei Garmadon, were riding inside a blimp that was flying over the island, on our way to the next part of the tournament. My friends and I sat on one side, and the other masters sat across from us. Nobody made an effort to make any friendly conversation, once again making me lament our broken alliance.

Looking to my right, I saw Jay frown over at Griffin, who was sitting across from him. “What are you looking at, Zippy?”

“The next one out of the tournament,” Griffin replied smugly.

Jay gave him a fake laugh. I felt sorry for him; his leg had been fractured by that heavy painting of Kai that had fallen on him. He refused to let it get him down, though.

I elected to try and avoid any trouble, so I turned to look out the window behind me with Lloyd. The small window limited our view, making me miss the open deck of the Bounty.

After a moment, I heard Kai speak. “Why so scared to show us your back, Shadow? Worried we're gonna find a tattoo and know you're working for Chen?”

Shade growled in reply. “I hope this next fight is between you and me, because I'm gonna put _you_ on your back.”

I cringed, turning to Lloyd. “Tensions are high,” I muttered.

“Yeah, not as high as we are now,” he replied. “Can hardly see the island from up here.” He was right: Chen’s island looked almost like a speck down below us.

“I wonder where exactly we’re going,” I wondered. All of the fights had been in the palace so far.

Neuro, apparently carrying a fear of heights, stood up and headed for the cockpit. “I've had enough of this. I can't stand heights. Where's Chen?” He opened the door to the control room, only to find that nobody was there. “What?!”

A screen on the control panel switched on, and Chen’s face appeared on the video screen. He furrowed his eyebrows, looking into the camera. “ _How do I know if this thing's on? Oh, oh, oh, I see the light. Oh, oh, I'm on? Right now?_ ” We all filed into the cockpit behind Neuro as Chen spoke. “ _Ahem, ahem. Hello, final eight! I see you are all eager for the tournament to commence so one of you can win my_ _Staff of Elements_ _. Instead of fighting for a_ _Jade Blade_ _, today you will be fighting for something different._ ”

The video switched to another channel, which showed us an overhead view of the jungle. There was a lone figure wandering through the undergrowth, and before I could wonder who it was, the camera zoomed in on a familiar face.

Nya.

I gasped. “Uh oh...” She’d been compromised. This was not good.

“Nya,” Kai softly exclaimed.

Skylor turned to him curiously. “You know her?”

“It’s my sister,” Kai informed her.

Chen’s voice spoke over the footage of Nya. “ _We have an uninvited guest on the island_.”

“And she must be holding the proof that will stop Chen,” Kai whispered.

I suddenly had an awful suspicion as to what the next part of the tournament was going to be.

The screen switched back to Chen’s smirking face. “ _Find her, and you will automatically move on..._ ”

“The spell he plans to use when he takes our powers,” Kai elaborated during the dramatic pause.

“ _...to the final round!_ ”

_Oh dear._ Sometimes, I hated being right.

“He wants us all to hunt her down?” Jay exclaimed, clearly very worried for Nya. “She won’t stand a chance!”

“Then we have to find her before anyone else does,” Lloyd resolved, pulling his mask over his head. The rest of us ninja followed suit. Before the next leg of the tournament had started, we’d all received new ninja gis again, this time with sleeves and pullover masks just like our old uniforms had had.

Chen, evidently, had more to say. “ _In ten seconds, the bottom will drop_.”

Everyone collectively gasped in fear.

“ _But to show you I'm not a bad man, I've given you eight parachutes_ ,” Chen announced.

As he said it, eight parachute backpacks dropped down from the ceiling behind us. At the same moment, the floor of the blimp began to open from the center, slowly tilting downward. Everyone screamed and scurried over to a parachute. I leapt up and grabbed one, pulling it down and attempting to put it on.

“ _Sensei Garmadon is there?_ ” Chen said, making my attention shoot back to the cockpit. Garmadon stood there, the only one without a parachute. “ _Shoot, that makes nine. Oh well, I was never good at math._ ” He had obviously meant for this to happen. “ _Heh. Toodle-oo!_ ”

The floor continued to tilt inward as the bottom of the blimp opened up, making all of us fall onto our sides. I braced myself next to Lloyd, preparing myself for the inevitable drop that awaited us.

Lloyd grunted. “That guy's love for trap doors is seriously getting on my nerves!” he yelled.

His outburst evoked an amused snicker from me, as I remembered a ten-year-old Lloyd in a treehouse that had been very much obsessed with trap doors and booby traps.

“What’s funny?” Lloyd snapped, still frustrated with Chen.

I shook my head in dismissal. “Oh, nothing.”

That was when the floor completely dropped.

The wind practically sucked us out of the blimp, yanking our parachutes from our hands as the nine of us dropped into a free-fall over the island and the vast expanse of the Endless Sea. Everyone screamed, limbs flailing through the air as we uncontrollably fell from the sky with nothing to stop us. The wind loudly whistled past my ears and stung my eyes. After a few moments, I came to my senses and tried not to freak out, taking note of all the parachutes that were falling with us. If I wanted any hope of surviving, I had to get to one. The problem was that they were all far away from me.

Shade seemed to come to this realization as well, but luckily for him, he was right next to one. He quickly grabbed it, pulling it onto his back and tugging on the cord. A parachute popped out, carrying him back up into the sky, laughing mockingly at the rest of us as he went.

_Jerk_ , I thought spitefully.

I found myself falling near Lloyd and Jay. I looked around for a parachute, but at the same time, I was worried about Sensei Garmadon. There was no parachute for him to use.

A solution to the problem struck me, and I turned to Lloyd. “Lloyd!” I shouted over the howling of the wind. “Use your energy dragon!”

Lloyd immediately outstretched his arms, grunting as he tried to concentrate. But, seeing as we were falling to our doom, that was pretty difficult for him. “I can’t!” he exclaimed. “I can’t get it to work!”

“You can do it!” I encouraged him. “Keep trying!” If he could summon his dragon, that would leave an empty parachute for his father to use.

Below us, I saw both Skylor and Griffin each grab ahold of a parachute. Skylor quickly pulled hers on and soon went sailing back up into the sky. Griffin did the same. Looking up above me, I saw Jay clinging onto Griffin’s parachute, only to slide off. Luckily, he caught another parachute as he fell, yelling, “I got one! I got one!” I sighed in relief when he was safe.

Lloyd and I were currently both trying to reach for a nearby parachute. I tried making swimming motions through the air, but for some reason I just couldn’t quite reach it. Lloyd was closer to it than I was, and I hoped that he would be able to grab it.

“Your powers don’t work because you aren't controlling your fear,” the voice of Garmadon said. I looked to see him falling a few feet away from us, on Lloyd’s other side. He was trying to help Lloyd summon his dragon. “Focus. Control your fear. Don't let it control you. Center yourself.”

Lloyd suddenly lurched forward, and was able to finally grab the parachute he desperately sought after.

“Nice!” I cheered for him, relieved that he’d reached it.

Lloyd held the parachute against his chest, but instead of slipping it on, he looked over at me. The next moment, he was throwing the parachute my way. “Here!” he called over the wind.

I hastily snatched the parachute before it could fly away, startled and worried. “Lloyd, what are you doing?!”

“Use it, Aurora!” he urged me in a tone that left no room for argument. “Don’t you dare give it back!”

I wanted to protest--the number of available parachutes was rapidly shrinking--but Lloyd only wanted to make sure that I was safe. My heart warmed at the gesture, and I knew that trying to argue with him would be pointless right now. I was worried about him---but somehow, I knew he’d be okay.

I relented, slipping the parachute on. “You’d better summon that dragon, or else!” I threatened him before pulling the cord and activating the parachute. I was suddenly yanked back up into the sky as the chute caught the wind. It quickly stopped, and soon I was descending toward the island below at an almost leisurely pace. But I was anything but relaxed as I anxiously watched my friends who were still falling.

I saw Kai and Neuro briefly fight over a parachute, Neuro winning the battle. Luckily, Kai snagged another parachute that happened to be nearby. Unfortunately, that meant that there was only one parachute left---and both Lloyd and his father were still falling.

My eyes were glued to them as they continued to free-fall far below me. I saw them both grab onto the last parachute, wondering what they planned to do. After a few moments, I saw Lloyd move, letting go of the parachute just after it was activated, his father still holding onto it. Garmadon wasn’t wearing it, which I took to mean that Lloyd had nobly given it to his father before he could protest. I was very proud of his charity---but also very scared for his life.

As I floated downward, I watched him as he free-falled through the air. The island was close now, and if he didn’t act soon, he would become a Green Ninja pancake.

“Come on, Lloyd,” I muttered, encouraging him on and believing in him with all my might. “You can do it!”

A few long moments passed with nothing happening. I refused to let myself panic, reminding myself that he could do this. Finally, right before he hit the trees, a glowing green energy dragon appeared, Lloyd sitting on its back.

I let out a breath I hadn’t even known I was holding. “Yes!” I cheered, hoping that he could hear me. “Woo-hoo! That’s what I’m talking about!”

“Huh. He made it!” Kai exclaimed.

Jay laughed. “Of course he did!”

“Atta boy!” Garmadon praised, very proud of his son.

With Lloyd safe, I could now focus on the task at hand. We had to find Nya before the other masters did, or it would spell doom for us all. My parachute slowly floated toward the ground, and I urged it to fall faster. I steered it into a clearing in the middle of the jungle, and soon my feet finally touched the grass. The moment I was on solid ground again, I shrugged off the parachute, sprinting into the jungle.

It wasn’t long before familiar music played over a PA system that had apparently been set up inside the jungle. “ _Hail, combatants!_ ” the voice of Chen greeted. “ _I have left a few treats to help you in the hunt. I hope you use them wisely._ ”

I rolled my eyes. _Like I trust anything you give me._ Those “treats” were probably a way for him to track our every move. I certainly wouldn’t put it past him. Besides, I didn’t need weapons; my light and ninja skills would be enough.

I headed in the direction where I saw Lloyd land his dragon, hoping that I could meet up with him. Along the way, something caught my eye on a nearby tree. I halted, walking over to something that had been carved on the trunk. It was a familiar symbol. At first glance, it looked like random scratches, something that wouldn’t mean anything to the other masters. But my friends and I knew it well.

_The Samurai X symbol!_ Nya was leaving a trail that only her friends could follow. _Very clever!_ Looking further ahead, I spotted another symbol on a different tree. I ran to it, then began following the path that had been left by Nya, hoping that she would be found by someone friendly.

A few minutes or so of running through the jungle went by uneventfully. Then, I heard rustling and voices nearby, and had barely stopped in my tracks before two figures walked into view. I summoned my light, ready for a tussle, but then my brain caught up and realized that it was Lloyd and his father.

Lloyd noticed me at the same moment. “Aurora?”

“Lloyd!” I exclaimed, tugging off my mask and trying to calm my racing heart. “You scared the living daylights out of me!”

“Sorry,” he apologized with a chuckle. He and I shared a quick hug. 

“Are you following the symbols, too?” I asked. That was probably how I’d run into them so fast.

Lloyd nodded in confirmation. “Yep, we are.”

“We’d better hurry,” Garmadon advised us. “We need to find Nya before someone else finds her first.”

The three of us set off into the jungle, following the trail of symbols and chatting amongst ourselves. The symbols just kept going and going, but we were confident that we would eventually find Nya at the end of them. Trekking through a jungle with Lloyd and his father reminded me of our journey through Hiroshi’s Labyrinth, back when Lloyd and I were on the run from the Overlord. Running and hiding hadn’t done anything for us in the end, sadly. That had been a scary time for us, and I was very glad that the Overlord was long gone---Zane had seen to that. Something told me that I’d get to see him again soon.

“You said before that Master Chen was your sensei, but...nothing else,” Lloyd reminded his father as we came across the thirteenth Samurai X symbol (I was keeping count of them).

I was also curious about Garmadon’s past with Chen, but hadn’t wanted to pry, sensing bad memories.

Garmadon sighed. “Son, there are things from my past that I am not proud of. Perhaps it's time for you to know the truth…” He took a deep breath before speaking. “After the Devourer bit me when I was a child, it took years for all of the evil to fully consume me.”

And so, he began telling us the story. About how he had become Chen’s student, learning dark ways from him. How he had won the position of Chen’s right hand in a duel with Clouse, and was granted lordship as a bonus. How he had been encouraged to embrace the darkness that was slowly consuming him.

“It was a time in our history when man and Serpentine were not getting along,” Garmadon explained. “As our sides clashed, we hoped for a truce---but not Chen.”

He told us about how Chen had no interest in peace, overcome with the desire to cause turmoil and conflict. Garmadon said that he had tried to object to this, but Chen had responded by telling him to never trust a snake. Sound familiar?

Garmadon then, reluctantly, told us the next part of the story. “Trying to lift my spirits, Chen presented me with a letter he had intercepted. It had been written by my brother...and was for Misako. It was a love letter, in which he had confessed his feelings for her. I… I felt the exact same way about her.” He sighed, looking ashamed of himself. “Chen told me that the letter could sway how she felt about one of us, and tried to convince me to replace Wu’s signature with my own. I knew that it was wrong, but...I didn’t want to lose her…”

My eyes widened in shock, realizing what he was saying. “You mean…”

“Mom thought that letter was from you?” Lloyd exclaimed.

“As I've told you, there are things in my past I'm not proud of---but I have no regrets,” Garmadon stated, not defending or excusing his past actions. “You wouldn't be here otherwise. My fear of losing Misako controlled me, and led me down a dangerous path. A path I hope to one day make peace with.”

Lloyd and I exchanged a look. I wasn’t sure what to think. I could understand the fear of having the one you loved end up with somebody else, but I’d never do something like that. My thoughts turned to Sensei Wu, and how he often looked at Misako with such a deep fondness in his eyes… If he knew what his brother had done, it would be devastating. 

It had been wrong of him to do it, and he knew that---but I couldn’t be upset with him for it. He’d just been afraid of losing the woman he loved. Besides, we couldn’t change the past.

Lloyd frowned, stepping up beside his father and lowering his voice, but not low enough for me to not overhear him. “So...when you gave me that advice on Aurora, you were speaking from experience.”

_He did what?_

“Yes,” Garmadon confirmed. “I was determined to not let you make the same mistakes in your relationships as I have in mine.”

Lloyd let his father take the lead after that, looking deep in thought. I walked up next to him, smirking.

“You asked your dad for advice on me?” I inquired, my heart swelling with fluff. “Aww!”

“Oh, uh… You heard that?” Lloyd asked, trying his hardest not to blush.

I giggled at his obvious embarrassment, kissing him on the cheek to ease his worries. “Don’t feel shy about it. I think it’s sweet.”

We soon came across a fallen tree, with yet another Samurai X symbol hastily carved into it. Lloyd stepped up onto the tree, then offered me a hand to help me over it. I grabbed it, letting him tug me up onto the trunk. Even after we were both on top of it, our hands happened to remain joined.

We sat down to take a short rest, and Lloyd spoke up again. “Father, I don't understand. You trained under Chen, yet you fought beside Wu in the wars. What happened to the truce?”

“When Chen said ‘Never trust a snake,’ he was right,” Garmadon told us. “The Serpentine struck first. The Alliance of the Elemental Masters fought back. But they had never seen the likes of an Anacondrai warrior. They were bigger, smarter, natural leaders on the battlefield. The Anacondrai were a proud tribe who fought with every ounce of venom. There was no greater warrior in the land. And with them in command, they proved to be too much for the alliance to handle.

“Chen stood to gain more if he sided with the snakes, and wanted me to help him,” he continued. “Though the evil in my veins tempted me, I wouldn't fight a war for him. I would only fight to see Misako again. From then on, Chen and I went our separate ways, so that I could join my brother in battle. We were the sons of the first Spinjitzu master. And together, with the Elemental Alliance, we stood a fighting chance. But Chen's influence changed all that. He found a way to turn the alliance against each other. The battle was all but lost. But in our darkest hour, we found hope. And hope found a way to end the war. The Serpentine were divided and locked away in tombs. Chen and Clouse were exiled. And the Anacondrai generals were given the strictest sentence: banishment to the Cursed Realm, so that they will never set foot in Ninjago again.”

I frowned. “The Cursed Realm?” I echoed curiously. “What’s that?” It sounded terrifying.

“It’s a realm that serves as an afterlife for the most wicked of souls,” Garmadon explained. “Only doom awaits any soul that’s unlucky enough to be banished there.”

I shivered. _Well, that’s not horrifying at all_ , I thought.

Lloyd frowned. “Even after all this time, you never told Wu about your past with Chen?”

“What would I have said?” his father asked him. “I would have lost your mother, as well as my brother. Not to mention---”

“Someone once told me you need to control your fear, and not let fear control you,” Lloyd stated, sliding off the fallen tree with me and standing up.

I hesitated, unsure whether it was my place or not, but then spoke up anyway. “It won’t be easy to tell them, but they do have a right to know. If you really want to make peace with it, then you have to tell them the truth.”

Garmadon hummed, then smiled at us. “You’re both right,” he agreed, putting his hands on our shoulders. “Once we put all of this behind us, I'll make things right. But first, we need to find Nya. Come on.”

The three of us set off again, following the path of symbols. Garmadon’s story mulled about in my head. I was glad that I hadn’t been around to see the Anacondrai army in its heyday. What he’d said about Chen turning the alliance against each other---it sounded a lot like what was happening now. But even then, they had found hope and a way to win. If the Elemental Masters could do it then, we could definitely do it now.

We searched for a long time, with no luck. Evening came and went, and before I knew it, night had fallen. Just when I was beginning to fear that Nya had been found already, we heard rustling nearby. The three of us looked around for whatever was causing it. As I was readying my elemental light, something ran into me, nearly knocking me over.

I whirled around to see… “Nya?!” I exclaimed in relief, starting to go in for a hug. “You’re okay!”

Nya, however, didn’t share my relief. “T-They took Jay!” she exclaimed hysterically, grabbing my arm with both hands. “They took everyone!”

“What?” I exclaimed, frowning in confusion. The others had been taken? What was going on?

“Slow down, Nya,” Garmadon urged her.

“Aurora, Lloyd, you’re the only ones left,” Nya stated frantically. “You’re the only ones who can stop it!”

“Stop what?” Lloyd inquired.

Nya handed him a rolled-up piece of paper. It was the spell! Lloyd quickly unrolled it, and we all peered down at what was written on it. I couldn’t really understand the foreign script, but Garmadon could read it.

“A transformation spell,” he read, sounding shocked. “It can’t be…”

“Transformation?” Lloyd echoed.

I gulped, feeling a creeping sense of dread. “Transform into what?”

“An army of Anacondrai,” Garmadon announced, making my mouth drop open. “The tournament may be over, but the next Serpentine War may have just begun.”


	9. Episode 44: The Forgotten Element

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You'll never guess who the spy was. *cough* Skylor *cough*
> 
> ...Wait, is that...?
> 
> ZANE?!!!!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I dedicate this chapter to Kirby Morrow, who tragically passed away recently. He's been the voice actor for Cole since the very beginning, and thanks to his talents, Cole has been a fan favorite since the show began. Cole won't be the same without him. 
> 
> Thank you, Kirby, for being a part of our childhood and always making us laugh. Rest in peace.  
> \--------------------

“So, what’s the plan?”

Lloyd, Nya, Sensei Garmadon, and I were all hidden on top of the outside wall that overlooked Chen’s large palace. The tournament was all but forgotten---now was the time to stop Chen’s master plan. All the other Elemental Masters--including Kai and Jay--had been captured, and were now probably where Cole and Zane were being held. Dareth had apparently been captured, too, so now it was up to the four of us to save the day.

Rescuing them would be easier said than done, though. As we overlooked the vast palace grounds, I saw more cultists patrolling outside than I could count. And that was only the ones outside; who knew how many resided underground where the others were being kept? Plus, Chen would have all the other masters’ powers by now, or he would very soon. Lloyd and I were formidable when we fought together, but against a man that wielded at least sixteen different elements? I tried to be optimistic, but those odds seemed unfavorable.

“I don’t know,” Lloyd replied to my question. “He knows we’re coming, but we can’t just hide here and do nothing.”

“We won’t,” I assured him, placing a comforting hand on his arm. “We’ll definitely save them.”

“We have to wait until nightfall,” Nya reminded us. “There’s too many.”

Lloyd grew agitated. “And then what? Every minute we're out here, he grows more powerful and---”

“Son, Chen grows strong by taking from others,” his father stated, placing a hand on his shoulder. “But _real_ power does the opposite. It empowers those around you. Like the way you've empowered me. We _will_ get you both to Chen, and you _will_ destroy his staff.”

“And we _will_ kick major butt,” I added, smiling at Lloyd. “Sound familiar?”

My playful words brought a smile to Lloyd’s face, easing his worries for the moment.

It was a long, painful wait, but night eventually fell upon the island. The four of us crept down closer to the main palace gates, ready to spring into action. Garmadon was reminding us of the plan.

“Remember, destroy the staff and everyone's power returns,” he told us. “You came here to make your team whole. Finish the job.”

Lloyd and I nodded, pulling our masks on. Today, one way or another, we’d make our team whole again.

Once we were ready, Nya brought out a crossbow, shooting a grappling hook over to the palace roof. When it was secure, the four of us swung down onto the cable and slid across it, right over the cultists’ heads. We were all in full ninja mode, silent as we could be. Garmadon kicked a cultist that was keeping guard on the roof, and Lloyd was there to catch him before he fell. Nya and I flipped over to the balcony of another building, easily dispatching the two cultists that were there. Lloyd and his father joined us as Nya opened a window. We peeked inside to see a dark hallway, and we quietly snuck into it. Lloyd led us as we crept down the hallway, keeping watch for any cultists. For a minute, everything was going according to plan.

Until Lloyd accidentally stepped on a tripwire.

The lights abruptly switched on, and an alarm started wailing loudly. I gasped, and gave Lloyd an accusing look. He merely shrugged apologetically.

The doors at the end of the hallway crashed open, and four Anacondrai cultists charged into the hallway, snarling and brandishing their spears. We fought them off when they ran at us, but after we’d knocked them down, several more cultists swarmed in through the window and doors that were behind us.

“There’s too many of them!” Lloyd exclaimed.

Nya leapt at the nearest cultist, knocking him to the ground. “I’ll hold them,” she declared. “You three find Chen!”

“Kick their butts, Nya!” I told her before running off with Lloyd and his father.

We scurried through the doors the first cultists had barged through while Nya held back the ones that tried to pursue us. We quickly scurried into another hallway, but as we rounded a corner, an unfriendly face was there to greet us.

“Look out!” Garmadon shouted as Clouse appeared.

His warning was a tad bit too late, as Clouse sent a blast of dark magic straight at us. It knocked us all over, but we quickly recovered and leapt back onto our feet.

“Go, you two,” Garmadon urged us. “Leave Clouse to me.” Clearly, he wanted to settle the score with him.

Lloyd nodded. “Good luck,” he said.

“Your father doesn’t believe in luck,” Clouse reminded him.

“I know,” Lloyd assured him, smiling beneath his mask. “I wasn’t talking to him.”

I chuckled. “Kick his butt, Mr. Garmadon!” I cheered as Lloyd and I scurried down a side hallway.

Now it was just the Green Ninja and me against the world. The two of us sprinted down a hallway of what looked like trophies collected from major events. I thought I spotted Zane’s pink ninja gi, but I was probably just seeing things.

Smiling in amusement, I turned to Lloyd as we ran. “Once again, it’s up to the Green Ninja and Yellow Ninja to save everybody else.”

My words made Lloyd laugh. “Heh. Why is it always you and me?”

“No idea,” I replied. “Maybe destiny just likes us.”

“Likes giving us a hard time is more like it,” Lloyd corrected.

I snorted in amusement. “No kidding,” I agreed. “For all we know, there’s another prophecy out there with our names on it.”

“No thanks,” Lloyd said. “One is more than enough.”

We were making good time, and were surprisingly unhindered as we sprinted through the hallways. Just as I was wondering where all the cultists had run off to, the floor suddenly opened up beneath Lloyd. I was just far enough to his left to miss the trap door; Lloyd, however, fell right into it, screaming in surprise as he vanished into the darkness.

“Lloyd!” I shouted, reaching for him just a moment too late. I was about to dive in after him, but the trap door closed itself before I could, keeping me out as I pounded on the floor. “No!”

Well, it looked like Chen had successfully separated all of us. That was just fantastic. A bad feeling began to settle in the pit of my stomach; this was all starting to feel like one giant trap.

I stood back up, trying not to panic and thinking about what to do now. _You have to find a way down there_ , I told myself. _If Lloyd’s all alone and he runs into Chen…_

That thought was enough to get me sprinting down the hallway again. I scurried around corner after corner, fighting my panic and searching high and low for any way to access the underground passageways that lied beneath the palace. I contemplated what to do when I finally made it down there. A part of me wanted to find Lloyd before he was captured--or worse--but the best thing to do would be to find Chen’s staff and destroy it, giving everybody their powers back...right?

Before I could decide, something completely unexpected happened (and by unexpected, I mean _completely expected_ ). A trap door opened up beneath my feet. I yelped in surprise as I was suddenly falling down a dark tunnel, losing all visuals for a long terrifying moment. Thankfully, the fall was short, and I was soon ungracefully landing on the cold stone floor of an underground passageway.

I groaned as my bones ached from the hard impact. I sat up, gingerly rubbing my head. “Why am I not surprised?” I muttered, slowly picking myself up off the ground. “If I never fall into another trap door again, it’ll be too soon.”

As I stood up on my own two feet again, I frowned at the fact that it was nearly pitch black inside the tunnel. I lifted up my hand, creating a small orb of light to help me see. The passageway looked like it was part of the network me and the boys had found on our first night here, but I had no idea where I was in relation to that. Sighing quietly, I picked a direction and ventured into it, keeping my footfalls silent.

_I hope that Kai, Jay, Cole, and Zane are okay_ , I thought as I crept through the passages. _And I hope Lloyd’s okay. And his father. And Nya._ I had no idea what happened to them after we’d been separated. _Maybe I’ll run into one of them down here---_

A loud, familiar hissing halted both my feet and my train of thought. I waited for a moment, then heard a muffled shuffling noise through the walls, as if something huge were moving on the other side. The ominous hissing echoed down the tunnel again, and with a shiver, I realized what it was.

I groaned in annoyance. “Just what I don’t need. Return of the knock-off Great Devourer.”

As I tried to listen carefully, in order to figure out where the giant snake was so I didn’t bump into it, a familiar voice called my name. I was so on edge from the snake’s hissing that it nearly startled me out of skin.

“Aurora! Psst!”

My gaze whipped around, and I gasped in surprise when I spotted Skylor. She was sticking her head out of a side passage I hadn’t noticed yet, smiling and waving me over to her.

“Skylor!” I exclaimed at the same whisper-shout volume she’d used. I immediately scurried over to where she waited, tugging my mask off to reveal my smile. “You don’t know how relieved I am to see a friendly face.”

Skylor chuckled, returning my smile. “The feeling is mutual,” she replied. She turned to face the dark passage she’d appeared from, summoning fire to surround her hand and help me light the way. “Come on. We’d better move before that snake finds us.”

As I followed her into the tunnel, I stared at the fire in her hand with a frown. “You still have your powers?”

“I managed to slip away before Chen stole my elemental power,” Skylor quickly explained, keeping her gaze ahead of us. “Almost didn’t make it out, though.”

I nodded at her answer, but something about her tone struck me as...off. I picked up speed so that I was next to her. “Do you know where the staff is now?” I asked. “We have to find it and destroy it.”

Skylor stopped, frowning. “What? No,” she disagreed. “We have to get out of here before it’s too late.”

I let out a confused noise. “Wait, you want us to _run away_?”

“I know. I don’t like it, either,” she explained. “But if we stay, Chen will catch us.”

“You don’t know that,” I stated, crossing my arms. “Skylor, we can’t just abandon everyone! Not only are they at stake, but all of Ninjago is at stake!” I pointed down the passageway. “We need to find Chen’s staff and destroy it. Once it’s destroyed, all the stolen elements will return to their owners, and together we’ll be able to defeat Chen and his army!”

Skylor shook her head. “We don’t stand a chance against Chen,” she argued. “Do you know how many elements he has already? We _can’t_ allow him to steal ours, too. If he gets all the elements, then he’ll have everything he needs to cast his spell and turn all of his followers into Anacondrai to take over Ninjago.”

“Yes, I know the odds are stacked against us,” I agreed, “but that doesn’t mean we should just…”

I trailed off, stopping mid-sentence. Something Skylor just said made alarm bells threaten to go off in my head. My frown deepened, and I pointed at her. “Wait a moment,” I interjected, slowly. “How… How do you know what the spell is supposed to do?” Nya had the spell page, and as far as I knew, she hadn’t shared it with anybody except me, Lloyd, and Sensei Garmadon. There was no way that Skylor could know exactly what the spell did.

Unless...

Skylor opened her mouth to answer me, then closed it, her expression falling. Her face contorted faintly, then went back to normal, as if she had barely held back a cringe.

That was when it hit me. There was only one way that she could know so much about Chen’s plans. My mouth dropped open, and I stared at Skylor in utter disbelief. “You’re… _You’re_ the spy? You’re working for Chen?” I exclaimed softly.

Skylor made no effort to deny me. She merely stood there, looking away from me with regret in her eyes. It was all the confirmation I needed.

“No…” I shook my head, shock rippling through me as I took a step backward. Sure, I had suspected her, but I had never actually thought that she… “Skylor...why?” I asked, my voice conveying how hurt I felt. “How could you betray us? Betray _Kai_? I thought we were your friends.”

“I’m sorry,” she apologized, “but I have to obey my father---”

“Your _father_?!” Master Chen was her actual father?! I’d been confused as to why she would ever spy for him, but I suppose that made sense. “Are you kidding me?”

Skylor’s demeanor went from regretful to frustrated. “I had no choice!” she defended.

I sighed. “Look, Skylor, I know how important family is,” I assured her. “Really, I do. But what Chen is doing--what your father is doing--is _terrible_. He’s taking all the elemental powers for himself and using them to create an army to conquer Ninjago with! How can you let him do that?” I gave her a meaningful look. “Which is more important? Obeying your father? Or doing what you know is right?”

Skylor seemed to contemplate my words, but not for very long. Only a minute had passed before her gaze hardened, and she shook her head. “I can’t, Aurora,” she said. “This is how it has to be.”

I frowned again, this time from my disappointment. “Alright,” I muttered, growing defensive and contemplating my next move. Skylor wouldn’t just let me walk away, so I had to be ready for a fight.

Right before that fight broke out, however, the frightening hiss of the giant Anacondrai echoed through the passageways again, a little louder this time. It startled both me and Skylor, making our gazes break away from each other momentarily.

It was the opening I needed. Using the light that was already gathered in my palm, I rapidly expanded it and threw it right at her. Skylor barely had time to let out a surprised shout before the light knocked her on her back. Even before the attack had hit her, I had already turned and ran back the way we came.

I sprinted through the passageways, barely able to see a few feet in front of me but not daring to summon my light again. It would give away my location far too easily. I took every side passage I came across, hoping to lose Skylor in the darkness.

_Just my luck_ , I thought, growing frustrated with everything. _I lose Lloyd, run into Skylor, and she turns out to be the spy!_ And on top of that, I could possibly be the only master left who hadn’t been caught by Chen. _She was probably leading me right into a trap! Things went south very fast, didn’t they?_ What else could go wrong today?

“Aurora?”

The faint cry of my name immediately made me skid to an abrupt halt. “Lloyd?!” I called out, my voice echoing down the passageways and full of hope.

His voice called me again, louder this time---and it definitely belonged to Lloyd. “Aurora!”

I smiled in relief, starting to run in the direction his voice had come from. “Lloyd, I’m over here!” I announced, overjoyed that he hadn’t been captured or anything.

Finally, I rounded a bend in the tunnel, and I saw the faint figure of Lloyd standing in the darkness at the end of the passage. I immediately ran to him, and when he caught sight of me, he let out a loud breath of relief.

“Hey,” he greeted me. “Glad I found you.”

“I am, too!” I exclaimed, taking a moment to catch my breath from all the running. “Lloyd, I have to tell you something. Skylor was the spy this whole time!”

I’d expected him to be shocked, or at least mildly surprised. But instead, to my utter confusion, his response was something I did not expect.

“I know.”

My brow furrowed, and I frowned at him. “Wait… What?”

Lloyd merely smiled at me---not his friendly, warm smile, but a triumphant smirk. I blinked, and suddenly, in a flash, Lloyd had changed into...Skylor?!

_The Master of Form’s power!_

Before I could even react or begin to defend myself, Skylor put her hands to her temples, uttering one quiet word. “ _Sleep_.”

The command, said with the full elemental power of the mind, forced its way into my head. I couldn’t fight it as I suddenly grew very, very exhausted, and my eyes tried to shut without my permission. I stumbled about, trying to fight or do something, _anything_ , but I lost the battle. I toppled over onto the ground as my eyes shut and I couldn’t open them again. The last thing I heard before losing consciousness was a sorrowful sigh.

“I’m sorry, Aurora.”

. . .

When I finally came to, my vision took a few moments to clear up. Once it did, I was met with the dim sight of green fabric. I was confused, wondering where I was, but then a familiar voice spoke above me.

“Oh thank goodness,” Lloyd sighed in relief.

I grunted, sluggishly moving myself to sit up. When I raised my head, I was met with the sight of Lloyd’s concerned face close to mine. I realized that he had been holding me, letting me use his chest as a pillow.

“Lloyd…?” I frowned as the memory of what happened came back to me. “You’re really you this time, right?”

Lloyd mirrored my frown, very confused by my question. “Uh… Yes? I think so?”

Gazing up into his eyes, I sighed in relief. It was really him; I could see his genuine confusion. After confirming that he wasn’t Skylor in disguise again, I looked at our surroundings, seeing that we were trapped inside a dark, stone cell. My head cleared a little more, and I realized that my hands were bound in front of me with heavy shackles. “Oh, great. This looks familiar.”

My words brought a small smile to Lloyd’s lips, apparently glad to see me acting like myself. “Are you hurt, Rose?” he asked me in concern. “You were out for a while.”

I sighed, trying to adjust my eyes to the dim light. “I’m fine,” I replied tiredly. “Just got brain-blasted, that’s all.” Shifting my hands around in their stone restraints, I tried calling upon my light---but nothing happened. “Huh?”

“The stone is blocking our powers,” Lloyd explained when he saw what I was doing. “I’ve already tried.”

_Vengestone._ I released a frustrated huff, slouching against Lloyd. “Typical.” I then looked up at him again. “So, what happened to you? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” he reassured me. After a moment, he let out a defeated sigh, then told his story. “After we got separated, I ran into Kai. But…” He shook his head, as if struggling to accept something. “Rose, Chen turned Kai against us.”

My eyes widened. “Are you serious?!” Was anybody _not_ going to betray us today?

Lloyd nodded solemnly. “He led me right into Chen’s trap.”

I shook my head, refusing to accept it. “No. Kai would never betray us. That doesn’t make any sense.” I could accept and believe that Skylor had betrayed us---but _Kai_? No way. There was something else going on here...

“I still can’t believe it, either,” Lloyd replied, shrugging. “I tried to fight Chen and get his staff, but...I failed.” He sighed again, hanging his head in shame. “I never stood a chance against him, did I?”

I shrugged. “Well, he _did_ have a ton of elements at his disposal. Plus, he’s a cheating, unfair troll. I wouldn’t beat yourself up about it.”

Lloyd smiled. “A troll?”

“It’s a special type of insult,” I informed him, smirking.

Lloyd chuckled at me. Then, after the moment passed, he grew concerned again. “What about you? You said you got brain-blasted?”

I sighed, looking away as I remembered. “Yeah. Long story short, well… Skylor was the spy.”

“Skylor?!” Lloyd echoed, sounding just as shocked as I’d been when I figured it out. “But...why her?”

“Chen is her father,” I bluntly explained, summing it all up in one short sentence.

Lloyd’s brow rose in surprise. “Oh.” He was quiet for a few moments, making a series of weird faces as he tried to process this shocking information. Then, he muttered, “You’re telling me that... _Chen_ , of all people...has a daughter?”

“I know, right?!” I exclaimed, letting out a laugh at how absurd it sounded. I mean, the man was a nutjob.

“That’s...shocking,” Lloyd stated, evoking a large, amused grin from me.

Voices outside the cell door cut off our conversation. There was a rustling of keys, then the door unlocked and swung open. Two Anacondrai cultists walked into the cell over to me and Lloyd. One grabbed Lloyd by his arm, yanking him to his feet, and the other grabbed me and did the same. They tugged us both out of the cell, and I knew that no amount of struggling would allow us to get away from them.

“Where are we going?” I asked, trying to put on an intimidating face.

The cultist escorting me made a sinister grin. “To the ceremony.”

Lloyd and I exchanged worried looks. That could only mean one thing---and I didn’t like to think about it.

Sooner than I liked, we arrived at the giant cavern that we’d seen during our first time here. The two cultists brought us to the staircase that sat underneath the giant snake head and began descending the steps with us in tow. I looked around the room, an uneasy feeling settling into the pit of my stomach. A large group of cultists were gathered down below, repeatedly bowing on the ground. Four other cultists were rhythmically banging drums to set the mood. And at the end of the staircase waiting for us were four familiar figures: Chen, Clouse, Skylor...and Kai.

As I tried to struggle against the cultist holding me, my gaze found Kai’s. I sent him a pleading, questioning look. Kai glanced to the side, as if to check that nobody was watching him, then smirked, sending me a subtle wink. My hurt at him betraying us was replaced with confusion. He was definitely up to something...but what, exactly?

The Anacondrai cultists, meanwhile, were conversing with one another as they tugged me and Lloyd along.

“Just look at us. We're escorting the big dogs now,” one pointed out proudly.

The other chuckled. “Like I said, Kapau and Chope are moving up the ranks.”

All too soon, we arrived at the bottom of the steps. The cultists forced me and Lloyd to our knees next to each other. They took off our restraints, only to snap new ones on right afterward: long chains that tethered us to the floor. They were made out of the same stone that blocked our powers, much to my chagrin. The two cultists quickly joined their friends kneeling on the floor shortly afterward.

Kai walked over to us, frowning regretfully.

“Why would you help them?” Lloyd whispered, glaring up at him.

Kai leaned down to us. “Don’t worry…” he began to whisper, but then Clouse walked over with his spellbook, and he changed his tone. “It won’t hurt...heh, that much.” He let out an evil chuckle that sounded fake, then walked to stand by Skylor’s side.

_He’s pretending to gain their trust_ , I realized, fighting a relieved smile that wanted to form on my face. _Kai’s still on our side_. I knew that he could never really betray his friends---that wasn’t a Kai thing to do.

“Alright, first thing’s first,” Chen proclaimed. “Daughter!” He pointed straight at Skylor.

Skylor, looking a little uncertain, walked to stand in front of her father. “I offer my power to you, Father.”

My eyes narrowed. _How much of a scumbag do you have to be to take your own daughter’s power away from her?_

Chen pointed the Staff of Elements at Skylor. Just like with Karlof, it immediately sucked Skylor’s elemental power from her, taking the form of an orange mist and disappearing into the crystal in the snake’s mouth.

“Only one can remain,” Chen stated, grinning madly.

I rolled my eyes. “If he says that one more time, I’m gonna scream,” I muttered.

Once Chen was finished stealing his daughter’s elemental amber, he turned his attention over to me and Lloyd. “And now for the final elements!”

I gasped as he walked toward us, suddenly very afraid of losing my elemental power. I’d been afraid of it this entire time, hoping beyond hope that it wouldn’t actually happen.

Chen pointed the staff at the two of us, beginning to take our powers. “Only one can remain!”

A green mist emanated from Lloyd, and a yellow mist emanated from me as our elemental energy and light were stolen from us. I could only describe the experience as feeling like a part of my soul was being yanked from my body. And _boy_ , did it hurt. I fought my hardest not to scream, but the pain spread throughout my entire being, and it grew too intense for me to stay quiet. My eyes clenched tightly from the pain as my elemental light was forcibly taken from me.

The process took only a few seconds, but it felt like it went on for an eternity. Soon, the pain subsided, and I watched as my element and Lloyd’s disappeared into Chen’s staff. I felt more drained than I had ever been, and fell forward onto the ground, groaning. I suddenly felt...hollow. Like a part of my very being was missing---which I suppose it was. Even before being discovered as the Yellow Ninja, I’d always carried the elemental ability of light within me. It had always been a part of me, and now that it was gone, I felt a little empty inside. It was awful.

Chen turned to his assembled cultist followers, holding the Staff of Elements high as he triumphantly chortled. “Behold! Every elemental power, all in my control!” he boasted. “Do you feel the power? _I_ do!”

I grunted as I weakly pushed myself up onto my knees, glaring daggers at Chen’s back. Clouse walked over to him as he lowered the staff, his hand glowing with dark magic as he began casting the transformation spell. I exchanged a worried look with Lloyd; we had to do something to stop this, but what _could_ we do? Our powers were gone, and Chen had every single one of them.

“All of you who bear the mark of the Anacondrai, it is time,” Chen announced. “We will shed our skins for new ones, and be the most powerful force in all of Ninjago!”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kai and Skylor exchange a decisive nod. Curious and confused, I watched as Skylor walked up to her father’s side.

“Father, let me stand beside you,” she requested.

“Yes,” Chen replied, grinning as he put his free hand on his daughter’s arm. “Yes. Join me. After today, not only will Master Chen be Ninjago's number one noodle house, but Ninjago's number one ruler!”

I felt a hand touch my arm, and tore my gaze away from Chen to see Lloyd. He’d managed to get to his feet, and now he wanted to help me do the same. I let him grab my arms and help me as I tried to stand up---well, as much as the chains allowed him to. Even after I was standing up, he didn’t let go of me. I didn’t protest.

Kai turned to us, smirked, and then winked. After that, he turned to face Chen. “Hey, Chen!” he shouted, grabbing his attention. “You forgot one element. The element...of surprise!”

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Skylor leapt up and kicked the Staff of Elements out of her father’s hand. As she did, Kai kicked the nearby Anacondrai cultists away from us. I gasped in surprise, and a smile slowly spread across my face.

“You betray me?!” Chen yelled, outraged and shocked.

Skylor glared at her father. “Runs in the family.” She kicked him, knocking him off his feet.

_She’s on our side?!_ Kai had probably talked her into it. _Thank goodness he did!_ I beamed brightly. _I knew Skylor couldn’t have wanted to let her father get away with this!_

Kai lunged for the staff, grabbing it and leaping back onto his feet.

“Get him!” Chen ordered.

Two cultists grabbed Skylor, but Kai pointed the staff at them, using lightning to electrocute them and make them let go of her. He then turned to me and Lloyd, using the lightning to break the chains restraining us.

“That was all an act?” Lloyd asked him, still shocked.

I laughed, mostly from relief. “Of course it was! It’s Kai!” I gave Kai a large grin. “Nice work, bro!”

“Don’t worry,” Kai assured us. “I had it all under control.” He then smiled. “Well...almost.”

Clouse suddenly ran over to the base of the stairs and pulled a lever there. It caused acid to drip out of the snake head’s fangs, which was directly above where Lloyd and I were standing. Lloyd shielded me with his body, but Kai used the staff to protect us, surrounding us with an orb of energy until the acid was used up.

Clouse growled in frustration, shooting a blast of dark magic at Kai.

“Ice!” Kai shouted--which sounded different, coming from him--as he shot a blast of ice at Clouse. When it struck him, it turned him into a human ice cube, freezing him in place.

A cultist tried to attack Kai, but Skylor pulled another lever, activating a trap door beneath him and making him vanish into the floor. She smiled at Kai, who sent her a grateful wink. I smiled, still very much shipping the two of them together.

Lloyd and I ran over to Kai. “Hurry, Kai!” Lloyd urged him. “You must destroy the staff!”

Instead of immediately doing as Lloyd said, Kai looked down at the Staff of Elements, admiring it. “Chen was right,” he slowly stated. “This thing’s awesome!” He used fire, lighting, and energy to take out three large groups of cultists. I glanced at his eyes, and was shocked to see that they were...turning red?

Uh oh.

“Kai, no! It holds too much power!” I warned him. “Destroy it!”

Kai hesitated at my words, looking down at the staff and seemingly at war with himself. Skylor ran over to join me and Lloyd, looking about as worried as I felt.

“The power is corrupting him,” Lloyd told us. “If we don’t get that staff out of his hands and---”

“NO ONE is taking my staff!” Kai shouted, looming over us menacingly. We had to back away a few steps, and I was honestly growing a little scared of him. “You both had all that power. Now it's MY TURN!” He then stopped, shaking his head as his eyes went back to normal. “Ah, what am I saying?!” His eyes turned red again as the power continued to corrupt him. “Nothing I don't already feel!”

Chen, meanwhile, was hiding on the sidelines. “Yes, yes,” he urged. “Embrace the power!”

Kai returned to normal again, looking terrified. “I can’t--- I can’t control it.” His eyes turned red again. “I don’t _want_ to control it! _I_ should’ve been either the Green Ninja or Yellow Ninja!”

_Does Kai really still feel that way?_ I wondered.

He summoned the power in the staff, pointing it right at Lloyd, Skylor, and me. I slightly hid behind Lloyd, and he put his arms out in front of me and Skylor protectively.

“No, Kai!” Lloyd yelled. “Don’t!”

“Please don’t do this!” I pleaded.

Right before Kai unleashed the staff’s power on us, something huge crashed through the wall near the ceiling. All attention in the room immediately turned to the loud commotion. It destroyed the giant snake head, making it crash to the ground behind us. A roto-jet flew into the room, and piloting it was...Cole?!

“Did anyone order some kung pao?!” he shouted down in greeting.

I laughed, extremely happy to see him. “Cole!” I shouted in glee.

All of the other Elemental Masters followed him into the room, charging at the Anacondrai cultists. The two sides clashed, and a massive fight broke out. Nobody had their elemental powers, but every single one of them were still giving it their all. Amongst the masters fighting, I spotted Nya, Dareth, Sensei Garmadon, Jay, and...Zane.

Zane.

_Zane!_

It was ZANE!!

He looked a little different--he was made entirely of titanium now--but it was still Zane. He’d rebuilt himself!

As soon as I spotted him, spinning around and tossing one of the cultists into a group of them to knock them down, I was overcome with immense, overwhelming joy. “ZANE!” I bellowed, sprinting over to him. He turned to me just in time for me to leap at him, grabbing him in a huge embrace as happy tears threatened to spill from my eyes. “It’s you! It’s really you! I missed you _so much_!”

Zane chuckled, wrapping his arms around me to return the hug. “Hello, sister,” he greeted happily. “I missed you, too.”

I made a joyful noise, pulling away from him to see his face. His eyes glowed an icy blue, and he mirrored my smile. A part of me couldn’t believe that he was actually right here in front of me again, but he was. We finally had our Zane back. And, at last, I had no more reason to feel guilty about his death.

“Zane!” Lloyd greeted, also overjoyed as he ran up beside me. “Good to see you again, buddy!”

“And it’s good to be back,” Zane stated.

The battle kept raging all around us, and we quickly joined the fray. I didn’t have my elemental light to fight with, but that didn’t seem to be stopping anyone else, so I refused to let it hinder me. I stood at Lloyd’s side and put my ninja fighting skills to the test, whipping out some fancy moves on the cultists. Even without the use of our powers, Lloyd and I fought in sync, taking down cultists left and right. Although I missed my light, I knew that you didn’t need powers to kick some butt.

A loud sound of glass shattering came from the center of the room. I looked over to see Kai, smashing the Staff of Elements onto the ground, destroying the snake head with the crystal inside. As the staff shattered, multiple streaks of every color shot out in all directions; it was the elements, returning to their rightful owners. I grinned as a yellow streak shot straight at me, and I embraced it with open arms. As my power returned to me, I was surrounded in a bright flash of light, lifted off the ground for a moment. The emptiness inside me vanished, and I felt a comforting warmth as my elemental light flowed through me once again.

I sighed in satisfaction, still grinning as I summoned my light to surround my hands. _I’ll never take this for granted ever again!_ I exchanged a look of delight with Lloyd, who now had his energy back.

“Now bad guys in big trouble!” I heard Karlof shout as his elemental metal was finally returned to him.

All of us ninja wordlessly convened in the center of the room. Everyone pulled their masks on---even Zane, who had brand-new gi like the rest of us that shone with titanium armor. The six of us stood tall together, and for the first time in a long while, the entire team cried “Ninja, go!” and spun into our colorful tornadoes of Spinjitzu. We plowed into the startled group of cultists, easily defeating all of them with Spinjitzu---finally reunited as a team at last. 

It was incredible.

“It always brings tears to my eyes when I see the old gang back together,” Nya commented from the sideline.

. . .

Unfortunately, in all the chaos, Chen and Clouse had managed to slip away, taking Skylor with them. We’d captured the few Anacondrai cultists that hadn’t escaped with them, and the Elemental Masters worked together to take them to the outside gate of the palace, back at the place where we’d first arrived on the ferry. My friends and I convened together off to the side.

“No sign of Chen,” Sensei Garmadon reported. Then, with a tentative look at Kai, he added, “And no sign of Skylor, either.”

Kai hung his head, looking very worried for our friend.

Nya grabbed his hand, smiling reassuringly. “If it weren’t for her help, we wouldn't have control of the island. We'll find her, brother.”

I nodded in agreement. “We definitely will.” Despite all she had done, she was one of us.

Kai smiled at our words. “It’s funny,” he began, walking over to Zane. “We came here to find an old friend...”

Zane smiled, opening a hatch on his arm. I saw something in it labeled “funny switch.” As soon as he activated it, he ginned, and began dancing around as music played from his system. It caused all of us to laugh hysterically as he danced around us, mainly doing robot dance moves. He started singing, too:

“ _Hello, my baby_

_Hello, my honey_

_Hello, my ragtime gal_

_Send me a kiss by wire_

_Send me a kiss by wire…_ ”

I clapped my hands together and doubled over, laughing so hard that I was on the verge of tears. Why had I never seen this side of Zane before?!

Kai sighed as Zane entertained everybody. “I just never thought we'd make new ones.”

“We’ll find her, Kai,” Sensei Garmadon assured him. “And we’ll find Chen.”

Zane continued dancing around and singing, and I kept laughing hysterically with everybody else. My cheeks were beginning to hurt, but I could not stop smiling, and something told me that I wouldn't be able to stop for a while. After a long wait and a hard battle, we finally had our Nindroid back. We’d finally found the brother we thought we had lost.

At last, our family was whole once again.


	10. Episode 45: Day of the Dragon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We've gained the upper hand. Or have we?
> 
> Face your fears, and unleash the hidden power inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter isn't the longest or the most exciting, but the next two chapters will definitely have more where that came from! Wow, are we already near the end of season 4? This book has gone by so fast for me. The last chapters are gonna be good, and I know a lot of you are just as excited as I am!
> 
> As always, enjoy!  
> \------------------

After eventually dialing down our hype about being reunited with Zane, my friends, the other Elemental Masters, and I all got down to business. Jay had the idea of disabling all ways to leave the island so that Chen and his cronies couldn’t escape. This was a good idea, but I was silently concerned about how we would get off the island once we did catch him. I supposed that was a problem for later, though.

The Elemental Masters were cheering in excitement as they deflated Chen’s blimp, the one that had carried us over the island yesterday. After how much suffering Chen had put them through, they were happy to get back at him in this small way.

“Sink the ferry,” Jay told them, smirking. “No one’s getting off this island.”

Bolobo cheered, raising his staff and causing giant vines to rise up out of the ocean. They grabbed the ferry, breaking it and hauling it beneath the water.

Cole walked up to join the rest of us, having checked inside the palace. “The palace and sleeping quarters are all clear,” he reported. “Still no sign of Chen and Clouse.”

“What about Skylor?” Kai inquired, still worried sick about his (girl)friend.

I gave him a comforting side hug. “She may not have been able to pick her family--and with a family like that, why would she--but she was able to pick her friends.” I smiled. “And since you're her friend, that means so are we.”

Lloyd nodded in agreement. “We’ll find her.”

Kai smiled to express his thanks.

“They’re right,” Cole agreed. “With no way off the island, it’ll only be a matter of time.”

Sensei Garmadon joined our group huddle, smiling fondly. “I’m proud of you six,” he told us. “You've done what the original Elemental Masters never could: stick together. But you must not rest on your laurels---for your guard is down when you sleep.”

We all planned to heed his advice. The six of us spoke with the other Elemental Masters, sending them to fan out across the island to search for Chen’s whereabouts. We left Griffin and Neuro to guard the large group of cultists we’d captured, knowing that they were more than capable of the task. After that, we all ventured into the jungle, heading for where Nya, Dareth, and Karlof were. They were staying with the collection of vehicles we’d gathered: Nya’s portable base that she’d brought, a mech Jay had found, two buggies, and the roto jet that the masters had been able to build during their imprisonment.

I decided to head Nya’s way once we arrived. She was just finishing reporting to Sensei Wu and Misako as I walked up to her. I couldn’t wait to see them again; I missed them.

“Everything okay on their end?” I inquired.

Nya nodded. “Yep. Sensei says that once they finish the Bounty, they’ll come pick us up.”

I gasped in delight. “The Destiny’s Bounty 2.0 is almost finished?!” I clapped my hands in excitement. “Yay!” It had been way too long since we’d had our flying ship around. It was as much of a home as anything to me.

Nya laughed at my animated excitement. “Yeah, I’m ready for it, too.”

Our group chatted amongst ourselves, trying to figure out what our next move would be. It was eventually decided for us. Several minutes later, a familiar white blur zipped up next to us, startling everybody. It was Griffin, and he looked a little panicked.

“Chen just figured out Skylor's powers can finish the spell,” he quickly reported. “She's in danger.”

“Uh oh,” I exclaimed, realizing what he meant. Skylor had absorbed all of our elemental powers before they’d been taken from us, so she technically possessed every single element at the moment.

Garmadon narrowed his eyes. “He’s replaced his elemental staff with the elements in his daughter.

“Where?!” Kai urged.

“Other side of the island,” Griffin told him.

Kai turned around, heading for the smaller of the two buggies and immediately hopping in. “I’m going after her,” he announced, his tone leaving no room for arguments.

“We all are,” Garmadon assured him. “Jay, Zane, you take the mech and buggy. Cole and I will take the roto jet. Lloyd, you and Aurora take your elemental energy dragon.” He then turned to Nya, who was already climbing into her portable base. “Nya, how fast will she go?”

“Fast enough,” she stated.

Garmadon looked down at Karlof and Griffin as he climbed into the roto jet. “Everyone else stay here and guard the camp. Let’s get a move on!”

Lloyd created a huge burst of energy, quickly summoning his green energy dragon as his element surrounded him. After the dragon was formed, I quickly hopped aboard, sitting behind him. He and I both pulled our masks on, and I held onto his waist as we took off into the sky.

I took a moment to enjoy being on the back of a dragon again. It had been _so_ long, and I had been a little afraid that I’d never get to experience such a thing again. The wind in my face as we soared through the sky… There wasn’t a feeling like it. _I wish I could summon an elemental dragon like Lloyd can_ , I thought enviously. _Hmmm… Maybe I can, and I just don’t know it yet?_

Cole flew alongside us in the roto jet, and the others raced across the jungle floor below. Everyone kept a sharp eye out for Skylor.

“ _Watch out for booby traps_ ,” Nya warned us over the comms. “ _Chen’s rigged this whole island_.”

I scoffed. “Surprising.”

“ _Read you loud and clear_ ,” Jay replied.

Lloyd and Cole decided to split up, steering their aerial mounts in different directions. While Lloyd steered his dragon, I looked below us in all directions, looking for any sign of Skylor or Chen or anybody.

After a bit, my attention went back to Lloyd. I took notice of how focused he was, and how he expertly maneuvered his dragon. He was great at flying now, as opposed to the old days. All the memories of trying to teach him how to fly Ultra Dragon made me snicker.

Apparently, Lloyd heard me. “What’s funny?” he asked.

“I was just remembering how much you used to struggle with flying a dragon,” I replied, smiling.

He chuckled at the memory. “Yeah, I was pretty bad.”

“Ah, don’t beat yourself up about it,” I told him. “Not everyone can be an amazing dragon rider like me.”

Lloyd lightly elbowed me to get me to stop boasting, and I took my revenge by whacking his arm. The two of us shared a laugh at our silliness.

Even after flying around a good portion of the island for several minutes, we found absolutely nothing. We must have picked the one area of the island where everybody definitely wasn’t. Just when we were about to head back, Kai announced over the comm channel that he had found Skylor, and was heading back to the front gates. I smiled at the fact that he had been the one to find her. Relieved at the good news, Lloyd steered the dragon back toward the front of the island.

We met Nya, Cole, and Jay there. They’d managed to capture two more cultists, handing them off to Karlof to be put with the others. Lloyd asked Cole where his father was, and Cole told him that he had fought off Clouse, but still hadn’t returned. Lloyd grew worried, but I reassured him that his father could take care of himself. Nya also told us that Zane had fallen into a pit as they were searching--which concerned me--but he had told them to go on without him.

“Still no sign of Chen?” Karlof asked.

“He escaped, but we’ll find him,” Cole stated. “Did Zane ever return?”

“Metal man?” Karlof shook his head. “I have not seen him.”

That made me worry a little more for Zane...but something told me that he would be fine. As Karlof took the cultists away, someone approached from the jungle. It was Sensei Garmadon, making me breathe out a sigh of relief. I took his safe return to mean that he had finally taken care of Clouse, which was a very comforting thought.

“Dad!” Lloyd exclaimed in relief, immediately rushing to embrace his father.

After they parted, Garmadon frowned. “I don’t see Skylor, or Kai.”

“They said they were on their way,” Shade informed him.

An uneasy feeling grew in the pit of my stomach, and I frowned. Where were they? Had something happened to them?

Before we could all discuss it further, Garmadon suddenly groaned in pain, falling over and grabbing his shoulder. I gasped, rushing over to him in concern.

“Dad, what’s wrong?” Lloyd asked, frightened.

“I...don’t know,” his father grunted.

As the others gathered around him, I spotted his purple Anacondrai tattoo peeking out of his robe on his back. It was...glowing?

Uh oh. “Your tattoo…” I trailed off, afraid to finish the thought.

“Something inside of me…” Garmadon hissed. “Something is happening.”

Suddenly, his whole body began glowing with a faint purple light. Lloyd and I took a step back from him, wanting to help but not knowing how. Garmadon’s form then started to shift: purple scales grew on his skin, and his legs slowly transformed into a very long snake tail. I could hardly believe my eyes; he was turning into an Anacondrai!

“The ssspell…” Garmadon exclaimed once the transformation was complete. His voice was a little snake-like now. “The ssspell, it’s completed! If everyone with the mark of the Anacondrai is affected, that means…”

As he said it, we heard a commotion from the front gate. All of the cultists we’d captured had also turned into Anacondrai, much to my horror. They easily freed themselves, slithering toward us in an angry mob.

Seeing their increased hostility, Lloyd gave his father an uneasy look. “Oh…”

“Don’t worry,” Garmadon assured him. “I’m always on your side.”

Lloyd, Nya, Cole, Karlof, Shade, and I all charged at the army of Anacondrai, rushing to meet their attack. The other masters rushed to attack them as well.

“Let’s get ‘em, guys!” Cole cheered.

I leapt into the fray, whacking one right in the face straight away. However, it did almost nothing to him. He attacked me, which I narrowly dodged, then tried to hit him using my light. He quickly avoided my attacks, but I eventually knocked him down. I had no time to celebrate my victory, though, as two more Anacondrai quickly took his place.

_And I thought dealing with Pythor was bad!_ I knew that the Anacondrai were formidable, but I was quickly learning that fighting an army of them was almost scary.

“They’re too strong!” Cole shouted as he tried to fight one off, having trouble even with the use of his super strength.

I saw Griffin try to use his speed to outmaneuver another one, but the snake easily kept up with him. “They’re too fast!”

Garmadon tried helping us out, but was quickly overwhelmed by a bunch of them. “And they’re too many! Retreat! Get everyone to the palace!”

I needed no further encouragement.

“Everyone, to the palace!” Lloyd shouted.

“Retreat!” I yelled as I regrouped with him. “Everyone retreat!”

All of us hurried toward the gates, helping one another and making sure that everybody could make it inside the walls. Once we were all inside, we slammed the doors shut, locking the Anacondrai outside. I breathed a sigh of relief, tugging off my mask as I tried to catch my breath. Even with my powers, those snakes were super tough to fight.

I let out an annoyed huff. “I’ve already had enough dealings with Anacondrai to last me a lifetime,” I grumbled. “Now we have to deal with a freaking army of them!”

Jay happened to be inside the palace gates. Once he spotted Sensei Garmadon, he gasped, summoning his lightning in his hands. “Snake among us!”

Lloyd and I immediately ran in between them.

“Jay, no!” I shouted.

“It’s my father!” Lloyd explained.

Jay’s lightning vanished, and he frowned in annoyance, pushing us aside to glare at Garmadon. “First it was four arms. Then you became a dragon. Would you mind picking a body and sticking with it, please?!”

I whacked the back of his head. “You say that like he can help it, Jay!”

“Could use a little help!” Cole shouted, struggling to hold the large gate doors closed with Karlof.

The Anacondrai on the other side were repeatedly hitting the doors, trying to break through. They were relentless, and it took nearly all of us to hold them back. We tried to figure out what to do, but it was difficult to do that and keep the Anacondrai from breaking in at the same time.

_Had you released the Constrictai, the Venomari, or heaven forbid, the Anacondrai, then we would’ve had a tussle!_ Skales’ words from long ago flashed back into my mind, and I was ironically amused by it. _Is this what he meant by a tussle?_ If there had been an army of these guys when Lloyd had opened their tomb, then we would’ve probably been doomed.

“Does anyone know any knock-knock jokes?” Cole asked as we all struggled to keep the doors closed. “'Cause this ain't funny anymore!”

Swords started poking through the wooden doors, startling me. Just when I thought that the snakes were about to break through, the violent pounding on the door ceased. Their angry voices suddenly grew faint before fading altogether. They’d just...left?

“Where did they go?” Nya wondered in a whisper.

Cole slowly pried open the door to take a look.

Jay made a noise of protest. “Don’t! It could be a trick!”

Cole closed the door. Everyone turned and ran over to a nearby ladder that led to the top of the wall. We all quickly climbed up there one by one. What we saw from the top made my heart sink. Several Blade-Copters were taking off, each carrying several groups of Anacondrai cultists inside them. Inside the roto-jet was Chen, and he took a moment to stop and gloat.

“Take care of the island,” he told us, smirking. “It’s yours. We’ll be taking Ninjago now!”

Chen fired at us, making everyone hit the dirt for cover. He laughed maniacally at us before flying off with the rest of his followers, heading straight for Ninjago across the sea.

“No…” I whimpered, feeling distressed. They’d taken the only way to get off the island. What were we supposed to do now?

Jay made a series of angry, frustrated noises. “This, this is just priceless! He took the roto jet and _all_ of the Blade-Copters!”

“What have we done?” Nya asked, clearly dismayed.

“We all have families in Ninjago,” Griffin pointed out dismally.

“Argh!” Jay yelled. “And we _had_ to destroy any other way off the island! Who's idea was that?!”

I facepalmed. “Yours, dingbat.”

Cole sighed. “Your father was right, Lloyd,” he said, tearing his gaze away from the fleeing aircraft. “We thought we had the upper hand. Our guard was down, and...look what happened.”

“NOBODY listens to me!” Jay shouted, pacing behind us. “You all say I overreact, but NO!”

I ignored him, trying to think of what to do now. _The Destiny’s Bounty will get here eventually, but I fear not soon enough._ What else could we do? We couldn’t just wait here and do nothing!

That was when Lloyd spoke up. “I’ll go alone.”

I gawked at him. “And take on his whole army?!” I exclaimed incredulously. “Absolutely not!” I was _not_ going to let him go off and do something like that. No way.

“Rose, I’m the only one with an elemental dragon,” he reasoned.

“Not anymore!”

My head whipped up at the familiar voice, and my jaw dropped at what I saw. It was Zane...flying in on an ice dragon! He swooped down to us as his dragon roared, and everyone was shocked at the sight of it as he landed above us.

“No way!” I shouted, grinning. But how?!

“He unleashed the dragon, too!” Karlof exclaimed.

“Oh ho ho!” Jay cried. “Zane, none of us could do that before! You gotta tell us how you did that!”

“I faced my fear,” Zane explained. “When I realized it wasn't something in front of me that held me back, but something inside me, I found a deeper power. A dragon power.”

We cheered for him and his discovery. I was elated; we could _all_ summon elemental dragons?! We had a way off the island after all!

As Zane finished speaking, another dragon appeared. It was Kai, and Skylor--who had also turned into an Anacondrai--riding a flaming red dragon of Kai’s creation.

“Zane’s right,” Kai stated as he swooped in. “We all have this power inside of us. But you have to see that it's not the Anacondrai we're afraid of, it's our doubt. Divided, we failed. But together, we will succeed.”

He was right. The Anacondrai were definitely scary, but what I was really fearing was my doubt that prevented me from doing what needed to be done. We’d faced impossible odds before, and had always come out on top. This would be no different; together, we would fight, and we would win.

Because ninja never quit.

Everyone cheered, newly inspired and powered up. Lloyd and I exchanged a determined grin, ready for the fight that lied ahead of us.

Lloyd was the first to leap off the wall, shouting “Energy!” as he summoned his elemental dragon.

I was right behind him. Without hesitation, I leapt off the wall, too, concentrating. I faced my fears, connecting with the power inside of me and calling my dragon forth. “Light!” I shouted. In a bright burst of light, a yellow dragon appeared beneath me. It glowed with a brilliant light, and had wings made of bright yellow flames. I laughed loudly in delight as it roared a greeting, flying up beside Lloyd. _This is awesome!_

One by one, everyone else summoned their dragons, too.

“Lightning!” Jay cried as he jumped off the wall.

Cole was next. “Earth!”

“Metal!”

“Speed!”

“Shadow!”

“Mind!”

“Gravity!”

Every single Elemental Master called forth the dragon sleeping inside of them, soaring up into the sky. Soon enough, I found myself in the midst of a fleet of elemental dragons, all of different colors, shapes, and sizes. I couldn’t stop smiling as we headed for the horizon, making way to Ninjago beyond.

“The battle of our past has returned, but we will rise to meet that challenge,” Sensei Garmadon stated, riding with his son on his dragon.

“Chen brought us here so that only one would remain,” Kai said. “Well, we _are_ one!”

Just like the Elemental Alliance before us, we had united, and we would once again save Ninjago from evil.


	11. Episode 46: The Greatest Fear of All

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who knows how to stop a snake better than a snake?
> 
> Even if talking to that snake gives you a headache...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it! The beginning of the end! The battle has begun, and the finale is just around the corner! I feel like we went through this season really fast. Is it just me?
> 
> I hope you all enjoy! I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. :)  
> \-----------------------------

“Chen and his Anacondrai army have a day's start on us,” Lloyd reminded everyone, leading the charge as we all made a beeline for Ninjago, which had just appeared on the horizon. “Be prepared for anything and everything.”

“You know me: I’m always ready!” I replied, grinning beneath my mask.

As absolutely amazing as flying on the backs of dragons were, they unfortunately were not as fast as helicopters. We were all flying our dragons as fast as they could go, but we still made slower time than Chen and his army. They were definitely already in Ninjago, which made me worry about what they were doing at this very moment.

Kai grimaced. “How did we lose so much time?”

I shook my head. “Because we had to go back for Mr. Brown Ninja,” I said, faking an annoyed tone.

Dareth, who was riding with Zane on his dragon, looked up at us. “You know, you took an oath to never leave a man behind,” he reminded us blatantly.

“I’m just teasing, Dareth,” I assured him, chuckling at his response to my words.

“And we’re not all quick learners,” Jay added in response to Kai’s question. “Mastering your fear to create power dragons takes time.”

This was true. It was also true that the six of us ninja all had experience flying dragons, but the rest of the Elemental Masters did not. That was another contributing factor to our delay in arriving at Ninjago.

“Well, we’re running out of that,” Nya pointed out from where she sat behind Jay, gesturing ahead of us. “There’s Ninjago City. Hurry!”

“Hurry’s my middle name,” Griffin quipped. “Hyah!”

He zoomed ahead on his speed dragon to show off, making me roll my eyes good-naturedly. The rest of us quickly followed him, flying across the last of the ocean and swooping down above the city. It must’ve been quite a sight to anybody watching below, seeing a fleet of colorful dragons soaring over the skyscrapers. Every one of us prepared for an inevitable fight.

“Remember, whatever happens down there, we're stronger united,” Lloyd stated. “We fight as one.”

I fist-pumped in determination. “Let’s do this!”

Everyone swooped down into the city together, finding different places to land their dragons. The people on the streets below watched in awe and fascination, and I waved down at a few of them. It felt great to be back home, even under these circumstances.

I landed my light dragon on top of a low building, above where Kai landed his fire dragon in the middle of the street. Lloyd landed his energy dragon on the building next to me, his father still riding behind him.

A woman standing on the street took one look at Skylor, who sat behind Kai on his dragon and was still an Anacondrai, and screamed. “Serpentine!”

Her shout caused the people nearby to start screaming in terror, scattering away. I facepalmed at their panic. _And here I thought they weren’t afraid of Serpentine anymore!_

I heard Skylor sigh. “I wish I still had the power to change…”

“You _have_ changed,” Kai assured her. “You’re with us now.”

An old woman driving a car stopped behind Kai’s dragon, honking her horn indignantly. “Could you be a dear and move your dragon?” Kai’s dragon lifted one of its massive feet up so she could pass beneath him. “Thank you, young man.”

Kai and Skylor decided to get off of the dragon so as not to block anybody’s way, making it vanish as soon as they hopped off. I joined them down on the street, and Lloyd and his father were close behind.

Sensei Garmadon frowned. “If we're the first ones they've seen, where's Chen, and why hasn't he attacked?”

I hummed in thought. Sure enough, Chen and his Anacondrai cultists were nowhere to be seen, and there were no signs that they’d even been here at all. That fact should’ve been comforting, but all I felt was a sense of dread. What were they up to?

Lloyd turned to Skylor. “We have to get you and my father off the streets before we alarm everyone,” he told her. He then raised his voice, looking up at the masters who were still on their dragons. “Everyone else, stick together and watch over the people.”

They all flew off, going to protect and keep watch over Ninjago City. Cole, Zane, Jay, and Nya joined us on the street as we discussed what to do next. Nya made the suggestion that we travel to her Samurai X cave, where Sensei Wu and Misako were waiting. There were no protests.

Along the way, Skylor noticed that one of her hands had returned back to normal, which confused us. Was the spell wearing off?

In no time at all, it seemed, we arrived at the Samurai X cave. As the doors slid open and we walked into the main cavern, I admired all of the new tech and vehicles Nya had created since I’d last been here. But what really caught my eye was the giant curtained-off corner of the cave. I knew that the newly-built Destiny’s Bounty must be within, and I grew excited to see it with my own eyes.

A few moments after we entered, a familiar screech echoed through the cave. I looked up to see the falcon flying over to us, very excited to see Zane once again. Zane smiled, and offered the bird his arm, who landed on it promptly. The sight warmed my heart and made me smile.

“And hello to you, my old friend,” Zane greeted him.

Sensei Wu, who stood at the giant computer station with Misako, turned around at the sound of Zane’s voice. He sighed in relief. “Ah, you’re all back!” He and Misako walked over to greet us. “Zane, look at you! You’re all...shiny.” He chuckled in astonishment.

I gave Sensei a hug, and when Lloyd was done hugging his mother, I gave her a hug, too. After she pulled away from me, she frowned, looking around the room.

“But where’s your father?” she asked Lloyd.

Garmadon shyly slithered out from behind the others. “It’sss me, Misako.”

Misako gasped in shock.

“Don’t worry,” Skylor reassured her. “We have reason to believe the ssspell may be wearing off.”

“But if that’s true, it only makes Chen more desperate to act now,” Kai pointed out. He then gestured back at Skylor, smiling. “Everyone, this is Skylor, Chen's daughter.”

Misako immediately gave Skylor a smile full of motherly love, walking up to her. “You’re amongst friends, Skylor,” she assured her.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sensei Garmadon and Sensei Wu talking with each other. Garmadon put a hand on his younger brother’s shoulder.

“Thank you for looking after my Misako,” I heard him say.

Sensei Wu nodded. “As any good brother should.”

“Yes,” Garmadon said, a look of guilt flashing through his eyes. “A good brother…”

I inwardly cringed, silently wishing him the best of luck for when he decided to reveal his secret.

Lloyd walked over to the computer. “There isn’t much time,” he stated, gaining everybody’s attention. “Our friends are on standby, but we don't know where Chen will strike first.”

“And if we're not all there to stop him when he first attacks…” Cole trailed off.

“Big trouble,” I finished, knowing that the words were an understatement.

“Ninjago will succumb to war,” Garmadon grimly stated. “Our greatest fear will come true.”

Sensei Wu narrowed his eyes in determination. “Then the greatest victory will be that which has no battle.”

Jay threw his hands up in exasperation. “But how do we prevent a war? How do we stop an enemy we know so little about?”

The falcon then left Zane’s arm, flying over to a nearby screen. After landing on a button, an image popped up to fill the screen. Everyone gathered around to see what he was trying to tell us, only to see that he had pulled up a picture of Kryptarium Prison: a large detention center in the desert that housed the worst of Ninjago’s criminals.

“We find someone who does,” Sensei Wu proclaimed.

My eyes widened as I realized what he had in mind---and who he was thinking of. “Oh no…” I groaned in disdain. “No. Sensei, _please_ tell me there’s another way that doesn’t involve talking to _him_.”

He shook his head. “I’m afraid not, Aurora.”

“No,” I loudly whined, throwing my head back dramatically. “Whyyyyyy?”

. . .

The six of us ninja approached Kryptarium Prison with Sensei Garmadon and Sensei Wu in tow, flying astride our elemental dragons once again. Nya and Skylor had elected to remain behind with Misako, wanting to try and get the Bounty ready for the big battle that awaited us. As we approached the massive prison facility, I prepared myself for the inevitable headache that I would get from this visit.

_Why him?_ I thought for the thousandth time. _Why do we always have to deal with_ him _?_

“Kryptarium Prison,” Garmadon announced as we began our descent. “Home to Ninjago’s worst of the worst.”

We all landed our dragons in front of the entrance, the colorful beasts vanishing as we did. The giant walls of the prison towered above us, and I briefly wondered if anybody had escaped from here before.

“I don’t get it,” Cole said. “Who’s gonna help us here?”

I facepalmed. “Really? Think, Cole,” I urged him, slightly annoyed. “Who’s the only real Anacondrai we know of that’s left in existence?” _And who’s the bane of_ my _existence_ , I added silently.

A look of understanding dawned in Cole’s eyes. “Oh…”

“If one must learn how to fight a snake, one must talk to one first,” Sensei Wu stated.

Sensei waved up to the guard in the tower. Once he saw us, he opened the large gate for us to enter the prison. A few more gates had to be opened after that before we entered a hallway, where we were greeted by the warden. Anybody that carried a weapon had it taken from them, for reasons the warden soon explained.

“Sorry I had to confiscate your weapons,” he apologized. “Here, we try to foster what I call an ‘environment of encouragement.’”

The hallway before us was blocked off by numerous traps and deadly security measures: laser grids, spikes, fire, closing walls, and even giant spikeballs. The warden hit a switch to deactivate it all, leaving the hallway safe for us to cross. I almost felt sorry for any inmate who dared to try and escape the place.

After leading us down the long hallway, the warden brought us into a giant central yard that housed the inmates. The octagonal walls were all lined with hundreds of cells, each housing criminals of every kind. Most of them were humans, but there were some Skeletons and a few Nindroids imprisoned as well. The warden led us along the left wall, passing a few cells on the way to our destination.

A Skeleton rattled a cup against the iron bars of his cell. “I’ll rattle your bones, warden!” he threatened.

The warden smiled at him, despite his threat. “Very creative, Frakjaw,” he complimented. “Love the puns.”

The next cell held a familiar face. It was Captain Soto, still sporting his peg leg and pirate hat. He ran up to the bars at the sight of us, pointing. “Pajama people!”

“Easy, Soto,” the warden warned. “I'm the captain of this ship.” He chuckled at his own joke before turning back to address us. “Ninja ain't popular around these parts, considering you put most of them behind bars, hmm. But who you're looking for, he hates ninja the most.” He stopped, gesturing to the only cell door made of a glass wall instead of iron bars. “Last cell on the left.”

Everyone exchanged a look, then stepped up to the glass door. The warden unlocked it for us, and we all quietly stepped inside the cell. To my utter surprise, an actual dollhouse sat inside on the floor, and calming music emanated from within.

_They didn’t!_ I smiled, trying my best to hold in a snicker of amusement. _He’s tiny, so he gets a dollhouse for a cell? That’s humiliating!_ It was way more than he deserved. An idea popped into my head, and I immediately knew that I had to do it. I looked at Lloyd, putting a finger to my lips before tiptoeing over to the dollhouse.

I heard the no-longer-overgrown snake talking to himself inside with a high-pitched voice, as if speaking for somebody else. “Hmm, why yes, Pythor, this may very well be the greatest cup of tea you've steeped.” He then returned his voice to normal. “Oh, you flatter me, Rodrigo---but do go on.”

Resisting the urge to start snickering, I found the window Pythor was sitting by and suddenly stuck my face up to it, loudly screaming, “BOO!”

Pythor yelped in surprise, dropping his tiny cup of tea and whirling around so fast that he almost fell out of his seat. His reaction killed me, and I burst out laughing, nearly falling over from how hard the laughs wracked my body. Pythor promptly pulled the blinds shut on the window, which did nothing, as I could still see him through them.

“Y-You should’ve seen the face you just made!” I exclaimed, wiping away a tear that had leaked from my eye.

Pythor growled at me indignantly. “Very funny,” he deadpanned. “Now, would you kindly _get out_ _of my cell_!”

Lloyd leaned down next to me to peer in at Pythor, too. “We need your help.”

“Help _you_?!” Pythor echoed, clearly exasperated. “The ninja?! You fed me to the Devourer, defeated every army I've aligned with, even forced me to swallow your shrinking pill! Haven't you done enough damage to my diminishing ego?” 

Cole grabbed his dollhouse and turned it around, exposing the interior of it to the rest of the room. Pythor screamed as his house was yanked around, and everyone smirked down at him in amusement. I had to control myself so that I wouldn’t start laughing again.

Pythor looked up at us, then sighed. “Well played,” he admitted. “I suppose this is about that culturally insensitive noodle baron and his ilk that are now Anacondrai? Impostors, if you ask me.”

“You are the last remaining Anacondrai,” Jay pointed out. “You must know how to stop them.”

Pythor turned away, crossing his arms stubbornly. “I'm not going to say another word until you can figure out how to make me big,” he stated. “And don't ask me to trust a ninja.”

Sensei Garmadon slithered forward. “Would you trust a snake?” he asked, leaning down to his level.

Pythor gasped, looking at Garmadon in astonishment. “G-Garmacondrai?!” He smiled. “Oh, now my interest is piqued. Let's make a deal, shall we?”

And so, we began striking a deal with Pythor---as much as I hated to do it. I did _not_ want him returned to his original size, but we would have to do just that if we wanted to figure out how to stop Chen and his Anacondrai army. Garmadon did most of the talking, knowing how to deal with the likes of Serpentine. A plan was soon discussed around the deal, Pythor telling us what we needed to do.

“Then you get the spellbook,” he told us, “and I'll tell you their weakness, and then---”

Suddenly, a prison guard speaking over the intercom cut him off. “ _There's been a breach in Sector Two! They appear to be Anacondrai and--- Uh oh, and they're coming my way! They see me talking on the intercom. Oh boy, here they come. Why am I still talking on this thing?_ ”

Outside, I heard the prisoners cheering and rattling their cell bars.

“Oh crap,” I softly cursed. Things were never easy, were they?

“You led them to me?” Pythor exclaimed. “What have you done?! There’s no escaping an Anacondrai!” Panicking, he slithered over to the dollhouse’s wardrobe, trying to pry open the doors so he could hide inside of it. The doors didn’t open, as it was just a part of the house. “Curse this fraudulent furniture!” He decided to grab a lampshade and hide his head underneath it.

“Tell me!” Garmadon urged. “How do we stop them? What is their weakness?”

Pythor peeked out from underneath the lampshade. “Don’t you get it?! There is no weakness! They’re Anacondrai!” He hid back beneath the lampshade, quivering in fear.

“Uh, guys?” Kai said, turning my attention to the door. “We've got company!”

I peeked out of the cell to see two of Chen’s Anacondrai slithering into the yard, brandishing their weapons. Cole squeezed past me, cracking his knuckles as he faced the approaching snakes.

“I’ll handle this,” he proclaimed, pulling his mask on. He leapt gracefully into the air, landing next to the guard tower that sat in the center of the yard. “Earth!” he cried, punching the tower and making a cluster of bricks pop out of it. He sent the bricks flying at the Anacondrai. 

Unfortunately, they ducked underneath the attack, and the bricks crashed against the cells behind them. The bars were severely dented. Jay and Kai ran out to help him.

“We’re trying to keep the inmates in, not let them out!” Jay admonished.

The three of them charged at the Anacondrai. Meanwhile, back in Pythor’s cell, Garmadon had picked Pythor up, trying to pry the lampshade off of his head. Once he managed to pry it off, a drop of venom dripped off of Pythor’s head, like sweat. The hand Garmadon was holding him with had begun to turn back to normal, but the drop of venom immediately changed it back to purple scales when it splashed on it.

I gasped. “Your hand…!” The venom had turned it back?

“That may be why they've come for Pythor,” Zane suggested. “What if he holds the key to making their transformation permanent?”

“That’s why Chen hasn’t attacked,” Sensei Wu realized.

“Then we have to get him out of here,” Lloyd stated. “If he's the key to preventing a war, we can't let him fall into the wrong hands. Literally.”

I had to snicker at Lloyd’s wordplay.

Pythor rolled his eyes. “Oh, I get it. It's literal because of my size. Ha ha, very funny. But I'm a little sensitive to all the size references.”

“A _little_ sensitive?” Garmadon echoed, smirking down at him.

That made me burst out laughing again.

“Okay, I stepped right into that one…” Pythor admitted.

I snorted, calming myself down. “I don’t even need to make size jokes about him,” I said, smiling at Lloyd and his father. “You two are doing great on your own.”

Sensei Wu turned to our resident Nindroid. “Zane, keep them busy.”

Kai grunted from where he had one of the Anacondrai in a thigh grapple. “What do you think we’ve been doi---” The Anacondrai whacked him off with his long tail, cutting off his remark.

“Get out of here already!” Jay urged us as the other Anacondrai’s tail wrapped around him. “It’s not like we can hold them off all day!”

Zane slid at the Anacondrai, knocking him off his feet and setting Jay free. The other one grabbed him with his tail, however, and threw him across the room.

At that moment, the prison’s alarm started loudly blaring. Red lights flashed everywhere, and the doors in the hallway began to slowly slide closed.

“Kryptarium's on lockdown,” Garmadon stated, still holding Pythor in his hand. “If we don't find a way out, we may never escape.”

After wishing the others luck, I followed Garmadon, Sensei Wu, and Lloyd over to the exit. The four of us were all barely able to slide underneath the door just before it closed. Wasting no time, we all sprinted--and slithered--through the long hallway, doing our best to avoid all of the deadly security measures that had been reactivated. I tried to tell myself that it was just like Cyrus Borg’s training course---except, well, more fire.

“Oh, some heroes you are,” Pythor scorned. “And to think, there’s only two of them.”

“Here’s an idea: why don’t you shut up?” I snapped as I followed Lloyd through the spikes that were repeatedly shooting out of the walls. 

Sensei Wu pressed a button on the other side that made the spikes retract so that Garmadon could get through them. He then threw Pythor to Lloyd, and the tiny Serpentine screamed as he was tossed through the air.

Lloyd frowned down at him as we ran. “Sensei Wu said the greatest victories---”

“Have no battle,” Pythor finished, clearly not caring at all. “Blah blah blah. Well, if they're impostors, you're cowards.”

I snorted as we all dodged the chaotic bursts of fire. _That’s coming from the snake who was hiding his head beneath a lampshade earlier_ , I thought.

“And what are you?” Sensei Wu asked him. He did this awesome move where he threw his hat at a button down the hall, retracting the giant spikeballs blocking our path. “There's a reason we never trust a snake. First the Anacondrai betray the truce in the Serpentine War, then you tricked Lloyd and Aurora---”

“Uh, for the record, I knew he was gonna betray us the entire time,” I quickly interjected.

Pythor frowned. “Are we _still_ talking about the Serpentine War?” he exclaimed. “The Anacondrai had every intention of honoring the truce. It was Chen who told us your kind was going to betray us. We had no other choice but to attack.”

Sensei Wu leapt between the two closing walls in front of us, holding them open with his staff. We ran underneath him, and he rejoined us before the walls could crush him.

“Chen said _you_ were going to betray _us_!” Garmadon informed Pythor.

Lloyd shook his head. “Ugh. Sounds like Chen was playing both sides.”

I sighed. “I guess that he was the true snake you shouldn’t have trusted...”

The four of us slid underneath one last door, making it to the other side in the nick of time. As we stood back up, we found ourselves in the recreational courtyard outside, still surrounded by tall, thick cement walls. I heard the clanking of metal, and I looked up to see three Anacondrai in large robot mechs standing on top of the wall. Over another wall flew three Blade-Copters, each carrying three Anacondrai.

“Oh yeah, this is so fair,” I muttered, tugging my mask on.

“Again I say…” Pythor ducked down, hiding in Lloyd’s fist. “Cowards.”

“Protect Pythor,” Sensei Wu stated.

_Add that to the list of things I never thought I’d hear him say_ , I thought in amusement.

Lloyd and I exchanged a look, and nodded. With a cry of “Ninja, go!” the two of us spun into our tornadoes of Spinjitzu. He and I charged into the Anacondrai surrounding us, knocking several of them away. Once we had some breathing room, we stopped, and I smirked. Maybe this wouldn’t be so difficult after all.

That was when Lloyd gasped and panicked. “Uh, I lost him!”

“Wait, what?” I exclaimed, looking to see that, indeed, Pythor was no longer in his hand. “Great.”

“What do you mean you lost him?” Garmadon yelled as he fought one of the mechs. “Find him!”

Lloyd looked around for him, but was restrained by an Anacondrai. Another slithered toward him to attack, but I leapt between them, throwing a blast of light at him to knock him away. I then kicked the other Anacondrai off of Lloyd.

“Thanks,” Lloyd told me gratefully.

I nodded. “Anytime.” More Anacondrai attacked us, and we had to fight them off. “As much as I don’t want to, we really need to find Pythor.”

Lloyd nodded. “Right!”

“Just follow the sounds of his shrieking!” I advised, using my light to blind the two Anacondrai who were attacking us. “Go!”

With our foes distracted, Lloyd darted left and I went right. I ducked around and dodged the Anacondrai trying to hurt me, scanning the ground for the small white snake that, unfortunately, held all our hopes. As Lloyd and I scurried around the courtyard, Garmadon and Sensei Wu fought side by side, keeping most of the Anacondrai at bay.

At one point, Lloyd shouted, “Got him!”

I looked at where he was pointing, seeing Pythor slithering near one of the walls. He was trying desperately not to get squished. Then, Sensei Wu was knocked over, also knocking over a cart of basketballs in the process. Pythor was lost amongst them.

“Uh, don’t got him!” Lloyd corrected.

I sprinted over to where Pythor was. He was dodging the basketballs as best he could, and an Anacondrai dropped his sword, almost slicing Pythor in half.

“I really _hate_ being small!” Pythor shouted at the top of his lungs.

Unfortunately, that brought the attention of one of the Anacondrai cultists to him. He picked Pythor up, hissing as he brought him near his mouth. That was when I arrived, leaping at the Anacondrai in a flying kick. It knocked him backwards and sent Pythor sailing into the air. When he fell down, I easily caught him in my open hand.

...Did I just save Pythor? What was the world coming to?

“Aurora!” Pythor cried in relief. “My savior.”

I gagged dramatically. “Please never call me your savior again,” I requested.

Suddenly, something blasted a hole open in the nearby wall. It was Cole, using his super strength. Jay, Kai, and Zane stood behind him. I was relieved to see that they were okay. The dust from the broken wall made the nearby Anacondrai cough.

“Do you have him?” Kai asked us.

I nodded, holding Pythor up. “I’ve got him!” I exclaimed.

My big mouth unfortunately got me into trouble. Something whacked me in the stomach really hard, sending me flying into another wall and losing my grip on Pythor. It had been an Anacondrai cultist, cloaked with his camouflage ability. He picked up Pythor from where I’d dropped him, chuckling before vanishing once again.

“Aurora!” Lloyd shouted, fighting on the opposite end of the courtyard.

I picked myself up off the ground, fuming. “I’m alright,” I assured him. 

“We can’t let them escape!” Cole exclaimed, pointing after the retreating Anacondrai.

Sensei Wu pointed to the mob of prisoners who were starting to charge out of the hole in the wall Cole had created. “No. We can’t let _them_ escape. No more smashing walls!” he scolded.

I saw the Anacondrai that was holding Pythor slither over to a rope that was hanging down from a Blade-Copter. The aerial vehicles were quickly picking up the cultists while the ninja were distracted with the escaping prisoners. The robotic mechs were also being slowly picked up by these giant claws attached to winches at the bottom of a few of the helicopters. One of them was unmanned...

A plan quickly formed in my head. It was probably stupid, and definitely dangerous. But if I could sneak away with the Anacondrai cultists...then I could find their base. And if I found their base, then I could find the spellbook. And if I found the spellbook, I could bring it back to the others, and we could find a way to stop all of this. The Anacondrai weren’t concerned with us ninja at the moment, only focusing on their escape. And the others were busy keeping the prisoners at bay.

I knew that if I was going to do this, I had to do it now. It felt wrong to leave my friends, but I had to do this if we wanted to stop Chen and save Ninjago. My decision only took a second to make, and once my mind was made up, I sprinted for the last mech standing in the courtyard. It was empty, by some stroke of luck, so there was no Anacondrai to notice when I climbed into the cockpit and hid myself beneath the control console. It was a really tight fit, but I managed to squeeze myself inside and mostly out of sight. And not a moment too soon; the mech was picked up and lifted high into the air right after I climbed inside. I wanted to peek out, but didn’t risk it, not wanting to be noticed by any Anacondrai.

And so, I was carried off and away from the prison, stowing away on one of the enemy’s own mechs. I felt guilty for just leaving without at least telling somebody my plans, but I’d had to act fast before the Anacondrai got away. Besides, it was too late to turn back now. I was on my own mission.

_Stay safe, Lloyd_ , I silently wished. _Fight the good fight, everyone. I’ll be back soon_.

. . .

The ride to Chen’s base of operations was longer than I would’ve liked, being uncomfortably squished as I was, but I told myself that it would all be worth it in the end. For most of the ride, I went unnoticed---but there was one close call.

We’d been flying for several minutes when my comm device beeped. I knew that it was probably Lloyd wanting to know where I was, so I answered it, wanting to let him know what I was doing so he wouldn’t worry about me.

“ _Aurora?_ ” Lloyd’s confused and concerned voice spoke as soon as I’d answered the comm. “ _Where are you?_ ”

“I’m hitching a ride with the Anacondrai to their base,” I whispered.

“ _What?!_ ” came several surprised responses from the other end. The others had been listening in, apparently.

Unfortunately, they were just a bit too loud. The winch had brought the mech up to the underside of the Blade-Copter, so I was very much near the part of the copter that the Anacondrai were riding in. I heard one of them hiss in confusion.

“What wasss that?” he asked.

_Uh oh_. If he decided to look down here, I was done for. Quickly, I whispered into the comm one more time. “Can’t talk now. Call you when I get there. Love you!” I switched off the comm device, then instinctively burrowed myself further into my hiding place. Or tried to, at least; there wasn’t really anywhere else to go.

After a moment, another cultist spoke up. “You’re hearing thingsss again.”

“Am not!” the other argued.

Thankfully, the subject was dropped after that, and I breathed a quiet sigh of relief. 

I only had to suffer being squished in my hiding spot for a little bit longer before I felt the Blade-Copter start to lower me to the ground. Even after the mech touched the ground, I remained hidden. Only after I heard all the Blade-Copters land and their engines turn off did I dare to peek out from inside the mech.

I was still in the desert, but all of the Anacondrai were slithering into this large tunnel entrance. It looked like some sort of abandoned, unfinished subway tunnel. Once all the Anacondrai were inside the tunnel, I quietly climbed out of the mech. After sparing a brief moment to pop my back to relieve the pain of being squished for so long, I quietly followed the snakes into the tunnel, going into full ninja mode. It was very dark inside, but a few of the Anacondrai cultists had torches to light the way. I tailed them in the cover of darkness, not getting too close but also keeping them just within my sights so I didn’t get lost. Thankfully, they were too busy talking amongst one another to notice me.

The journey was short, and soon I followed them into a large area where three other tunnels converged with the current one. Chen’s base was set up there. Well, it was more of a camp, really. Several tents were set up, and amongst them was an old train car. Boxes, weapons, and a few vehicles were scattered about the room. A campfire lit up the area, but the flickering flames provided plenty of shadowy spots to sneak around in.

After the group of Anacondrai I’d been following dispersed throughout the room, I snuck over to the shadow of the outermost tent. I began wondering where the spellbook could be, but then a familiar voice suddenly began caterwauling from inside the train car.

“AH!” Pythor was shrieking at the top of his tiny lungs. “CHARLATANS! FRAUDS! TWO-BIT PHONIES!”

Good grief, it sounded like they were torturing him in there. I figured that I should go see what they were doing. Once the Anacondrai meandering about the camp weren’t looking, I silently darted over to the long train car, sneaking over to a window on the darkest side of it. After briefly glancing around to make sure I wasn’t spotted, I slowly turned toward the window and peeked inside.

The first thing my eyes caught sight of was Chen, looking down into some sort of glass pen on the ground. A few of his cultists were gathered behind him. On a table on the other side of the train car, I spotted the spellbook I had come for. Right now, unfortunately, there were Anacondrai between me and it. Looking back to what Chen was doing, I finally spotted Pythor, and was immediately amused by his current situation. He was in a hamster wheel of some sort, and was wearing a spherical helmet that had a pipe attached to it.

“A true Anacondrai would never demean himself,” Pythor stated stubbornly. “I have my honor, you know.”

A cultist slithered over to the glass pen he was being held in. “And we have a swamp rat,” he announced, carrying a rather large rat in his hand.

The swamp rat growled, spotting Pythor inside the pen and leaping down into it. Pythor screamed in terror as the rat scurried onto the hamster wheel, hopping in the other direction. As the rat chased him, small drops of his venom-sweat stuff was collected by the pipe attached to his helmet.

_So that’s how they plan to make their transformation permanent,_ I realized. What a demeaning way to steal venom from Pythor. _Embarrassing...but he kind of deserves it, right?_ I’d say so.

“As you can see, fear is a powerful thing,” Chen stated.

_Not as powerful as hope_ , I thought silently. _And I’ve got plenty of it._

Pythor’s venom dripped out of the pipe, and Chen put his hand underneath it to let a drop touch his hand. Once it did, his normal, human arm turned back to the purple scales of Anacondrai.

“Oh, the essence---it’s working!” the cultist that had brought the rat exclaimed.

“Soon, I'll have enough to make my entire army permanently Anacondrai,” Chen declared, grinning in glee. “And now that that one problem is dealt with, it's time we give the ninja one of their own. It's time to spread some fear!”

That did not sound good. I had to get that spellbook, but if I could stop whatever Chen was planning for my friends, then I had to try to do that first. I remained where I was, waiting for Chen to start giving orders to his Anacondrai. If I eavesdropped on his plan, I could warn the others about it.

Unfortunately, fate had other plans.

“Hey! You there!”

I gasped, turning around at the voice. One of the patrolling Anacondrai had discovered me lurking around the train car, and was now pointing at me, drawing the attention of his nearby comrades.

_Crap!_ If it was just one--or perhaps two--Anacondrai, I could take them. But seeing as how there were dozens in here...I had only one safe option at the moment: run!

Before the Anacondrai could make a move, I turned and dashed toward the nearest dark subway tunnel, wanting to get to the cover of darkness as quickly as possible. Behind me, the Anacondrai cultists began shouting amongst themselves.

“It’sss one of the ninja!”

“Ninja?!”

“Where?!”

“Which one?”

“I don’t know! The yellow one!”

“Get her!!”

They all grabbed torches and began chasing me in an angry mob. I sprinted into the tunnel, letting myself be enveloped by the darkness. I could hardly see in front of my face, but I didn’t stop, running along the left wall. The firelight from the Anacondrai’s torches pursued me, and I tried my best to stay well out of its range. Anacondrai were fast, but I found that at my top speed, I could run faster than they could slither. I supposed those long tails did have one disadvantage.

I tried to think of a way out of this. The tunnel I had run into unfortunately wasn’t the one I had followed the snakes into, so I had no idea if it would bring me back outside or not. And even if it did, how long would I have to run before I got there? I supposed that I could just summon my dragon and make an easy getaway, but...what would be the point of that? I had embarked on this crazy mission to get the spellbook, and I did _not_ plan on leaving without it. I had to get back to Chen’s camp somehow and steal it---but with a dozen Anacondrai standing between me and the way back there, it was easier said than done.

A solution soon appeared for me. I had gained considerable distance away from the Anacondrai chasing me, but they were still too close. I came across an opening in the wall I ran beside, and I screeched to a halt next to it. Feeling around in the darkness, I walked a few steps before touching what felt like a door. I slid my hands down its surface and found the handle, and when I turned it, I was beyond relieved to find it unlocked. The angry Anacondrai were right around the corner, and without wasting another moment, I wrenched the door open, hurried inside, and quietly shut it behind me.

The room I found myself in was tiny, and it was dark as pitch, but I didn’t dare summon any light just yet. Silencing my heavy breaths from running as fast as I could go, I watched the orange light from the cultists’ torches seep in through the crack at the bottom of the door. I heard their angry shouting as they slithered by.

“Where isss she?”

“She can’t have gotten far!”

“We can’t let her get away!”

I held my breath, hoping that they wouldn’t notice the convenient little side door I’d vanished into. By some miracle, they didn’t, and slithered right on by. The light from their torches slowly faded, and their loud voices grew quieter. I only allowed myself to breathe again when I could barely hear them anymore.

_Stupid snakes ran right on by_ , I thought triumphantly. _I’ve never felt more like a sneaky ninja_.

With my pursuers gone for the moment, I brought up a hand to summon a small orb of light and pulled my mask off, just so I could clearly see where I was. The small room I was in was bathed in the comforting yellow glow of my light, and I looked around to see a bunch of wires and odd electrical devices lining the walls. I guessed that this was some sort of forgotten electrical maintenance closet that had probably helped power the overhead lights, back when they were still working.

I didn’t know what Chen’s plan was, but I did know that I had to warn my friends about it. I pulled out my comm device, switching it on. “Guys, this is Aurora,” I whispered. “Chen’s making a move.”

Static answered me. For the first time, I realized that, being underground as I was, the signal might not be strong enough to reach them. Either that, or Chen could be jamming all the radio frequencies.

“Does anyone read me?” I urged, hoping that I would get through to someone. “Hello? Lloyd? Anybody?”

Alas, all I received was more static, not a voice to be heard. I cursed softly, switching the device off. _Just great,_ I thought dismally. _I can’t even warn them about Chen attacking because I’m stuck underground!_ I then began berating myself. _Why didn’t I call them before following the Anacondrai into their camp? I could’ve at least told them where their camp is! I’m such an idiot…_ If I could find my way back outside, then I could call them---but Chen probably had most of his Anacondrai army out looking for me. They’d be searching this tunnel and everywhere else, and if they caught me...I was dead meat. Even now, I could hear some Anacondrai coming my way, retracing their steps to see if I’d doubled back or not. Even under the cover of darkness, I wasn’t sure I could sneak back to the camp, steal the spellbook, and get out safely.

_And while I’m stuck here, Chen’s free to attack the other ninja and the Elemental Masters._ Why did I go off on my own to get the stupid spellbook? I’d gone with my gut, but had it been the right choice? Maybe I should’ve been out there with my friends, fighting with them, protecting Ninjago…

Well...might as well see this thing through.

I held my breath again as another group of Anacondrai passed by my hiding spot. Whatever I decided to do, I needed to do it fast before they found me. If I got captured--again--I would be no help to anyone.

The fate of Ninjago hung in the balance, and I intended to do whatever it took to make sure that Chen didn’t win the war.


	12. Episode 47: The Corridor of Elders

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to defeat Chen and his army, once and for all.
> 
> Old enemies become unexpected allies, and someone makes the ultimate sacrifice to save all of Ninjago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, it's time for the season finale! Grab your tissues and hold on tight!
> 
> I know I say this to y'all way too much, but I IMMENSELY appreciate all of your support and love for my fanfics! I can hardly put into words how much it all means to me. Your comments and kudos are something that I always eagerly look forward to when posting a new chapter, and your undying support is what keeps me writing! Not only that, but so many of you have contributed amazing ideas for me to incorporate into my writing! So thank you all, from the bottom of my heart!
> 
> I won't keep you any longer. Enjoy the finale! :D  
> \----------------------------------------------

It had probably only been around twenty minutes, but it felt like hours had passed before I dared to emerge from that small room.

As I was hiding in there, I had patiently waited out any Anacondrai that passed my hiding spot. Miraculously, none of them decided to check the door hiding in the shadows. Well, maybe that was inaccurate; I wasn’t sure they really ever got the chance to find it. After a little bit, the Anacondrai that had pursued me went back the way they came, toward their camp. I didn’t hear from them again---but a few long minutes after that, something _loud_ came zooming down the tunnel, nearly scaring me to death. It sounded like a few Blade-Copters flying down the tunnel to an exit I assumed was somewhere further down.

Then...there was silence. After waiting a few minutes more, to be absolutely sure nobody was there, I emerged from my hiding spot.

I tugged my mask back on, opened and closed the door as silently as possible, then began creeping back in the direction of the camp. I stuck to the shadows and hugged the wall again, just in case any more Blade-Copters decided to zoom down the tunnel. Eventually, I made it back to the camp.

There was not a single Anacondrai cultist to be seen. The camp wasn’t really abandoned, per se--a few campfires still blazed--but there was absolutely no one there. At least, no one I could see. There could’ve been a camoflauged snake or two waiting to catch me off guard. Or maybe that was just my paranoia.

_They must’ve given up on me_ , I thought. It should've been a relief that they were all gone, but all it did was worry me. Chen was making his move, and I sensed that a battle was on the horizon. I had to hurry if I wanted to help in time.

I began tiptoeing my way over to the train car in the camp’s center, hoping that the spellbook was still inside. I still remained as quiet as possible just in case there were any lingering Anacondrai skulking about. Then, I soon discovered that there was just one that remained---the only true Anacondrai.

“Wretched contraption!” I heard Pythor angrily shout from inside the train car. “I can’t run forever, you filthy rodent!”

I had to smile a little. Chen had left him here to his fate, it seemed. Did this count as karma? I really didn’t want to get another headache from talking with him, but it would be inevitable if I went in there to get the spellbook. And I very much intended to get the spellbook, so… 

I sighed, walking up to the train car. As I walked up, I pulled my mask off, deciding to milk this golden opportunity for all it was worth. I leaned against the doorway, smirking before I made myself known. “How the mighty snake king has fallen,” I muttered.

As Pythor frantically scurried away from the swamp rat, he swiveled his head to me at the sound of my voice, letting out a noise that was half surprised and half relieved. “Aurora!” he cried out. “Thank heavens! You don’t know how glad I am to see you, my dear girl.”

I snorted. “Yeah, I’m sure I don’t.” My grin grew a little wider. “Looks like Chen just left you here without a second thought.”

“He did!” Pythor confirmed, clearly exasperated. “Can you believe their audacity? They don’t have a scrap of dignity among them! It truly sickens me!”

“Yeah, they’re pretty big jerks,” I agreed. Spotting the spellbook sitting on a table where I’d seen it earlier, I began walking over to it.

Pythor spoke again, stopping me in my tracks. “I don’t suppose you could help me out of my predicament?” he requested between shrieks and pants for breath as he ran from the sewer rat.

I inwardly sighed, turning to him. I really, _really_ didn’t want to help him--it was incredibly amusing and satisfying seeing him in his current state--but I knew that I had to. I was a ninja, after all, and I always helped those who were in trouble. That normally _never_ included Pythor...but if I just left him here, then I’d be no better than Chen---and I prided myself on being better than Chen.

Still...even though I had every intention of helping him, that didn’t mean I couldn’t mess with him a little bit. Crossing my arms over my chest, I faced Pythor, looking down into the glass pen he was in. “And what makes you think that you deserve any help?” I asked him.

“What?” Pythor exclaimed, clearly not expecting that response from me. “B-But you’re a ninja! You’re supposed to always help unfortunate souls in need!”

I shrugged. “True,” I admitted, “but this is you we’re talking about. How much chaos have you brought upon Ninjago?” I began keeping count on my fingers as I listed his crimes. “Let’s see: you united the Serpentine and sicked them upon innocent people, you unleashed the Great Devourer--I know you need no reminder of that--and you helped the Overlord escape the digiverse instead of just letting him die for good. And let’s also not forget the multiple accounts of theft, assault, kidnapping, child endangerment, and trying to kill me and everyone I care about. _Several times_.”

Pythor groaned in annoyance. “Alright, yes, I get it! I’ve done terrible things.”

“So I’ll ask again: why do you deserve my help?” I inquired, trying my hardest to keep from smirking.

Pythor was convinced that there was a good chance I wasn’t going to help him, so he scrambled for a reason. “B-Because I can help you stop the frauds that call themselves Anacondrai!” he replied. “Now that their transformation is permanent, you’ll need a new way to stop them for good! A-And I can help you find that way! Trust me, if anyone is going to take over this world, I’d rather it be me!”

He did have a point, I supposed. That didn’t mean I would stop messing with him just yet, though. “I hate to break it to you, but I don’t trust snakes,” I told him.

“Oh, help me out of this, please!” he begged. “I’ll never cause trouble again!”

I _highly_ doubted that---but who knew? At the size Pythor was now, what harm could he really do? Since I was a little pressed for time, I decided to let him off the hook. “Okay, okay,” I conceded, reaching down to grab Pythor and pull him out of the hamster wheel. The swamp rat squeaked indignantly as its prey was snatched away from it.

Pythor breathed heavily as I sat him down on the table next to the spellbook, nearly keeling over as he tried to catch his breath from running for so long. “Oh… That was horrid… Many thanks, my dear girl…”

He looked up at me, only to see the crap-eating grin I was giving him.

A look of realization passed over his face. “Ah… You were planning on helping me the entire time, weren’t you?” he stated more than asked. “You were merely messing with me.”

“Yep,” I replied smugly.

“...Well played,” he admitted.

As the tiny Anacondrai caught his breath, I opened the spellbook, leafing through the pages and scanning the spells. There had to be something in it somewhere to stop Chen and his army, right? Maybe a reversal spell? I flipped to page one forty-nine--which was bookmarked--to search for any way to reverse the spell.

Meanwhile, a small radio sitting on top of a nearby box came to life, a voice filtering through the speaker. “ _Another village has fallen, and the ninja have yet to be found._ ” I soon recognized the voice as that of Cyrus Borg. “ _It's only a matter of time until they take over_ _Ninjago City_ _._ ”

“Oh no…” I trailed off, a thousand questions running through my mind. Villages were falling? The ninja were nowhere to be found? Where were they? What were they doing? Were they alright? Was Lloyd alright?

Pythor huffed in annoyance. “News. Always a downer.”

Borg continued reporting. “ _How the Anacondrai returned is a mystery._ ”

“Not a mystery,” Pythor insisted as I continued flipping through pages. “They’re frauds! A true Anacondrai would never stand for this!”

“ _If you hear this message, find shelter or seek help_.”

I tuned the radio out then, not needing anymore reminders that things were looking bad. But you know what they said: it was always darkest before the dawn. I just needed to find a way to defeat Chen and his army. Unfortunately, there was no clear way to reverse the spell, so I had to find a different way. But what?

Pythor hummed in thought. “A true Anacondrai would never stand for this…” he repeated, coming to some sort of realization. “I _am_ a true Anacondrai.”

“I think we’ve established that already,” I muttered, half of my attention still on reading the spells in the book.

After a moment, Pythor gasped. “That’s it!”

The outburst grabbed my full attention this time. “What’s it?”

“Look here!” Pythor slithered over to the spellbook and pointed down to the newest page I’d flipped to. 

I briefly skimmed the writing, and my eyes widened at what I read. It was a spell to open a gateway to another realm---one realm in particular. “The Cursed Realm?” I inquired.

“Yes!” he exclaimed. “The Anacondrai generals were banished there at the end of the Serpentine War. If they saw this travesty, they would stop it at once.”

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. “They have the power to do that?”

“Of course they do,” he replied, as if it were obvious. “They could set everything right again.”

Something about Pythor’s idea rubbed me the wrong way, but...what choice did I have? He knew Anacondrai better than I did, and I had no other ideas on how to stop Chen and his army. Right now, it was our best bet.

And if Pythor of all snakes wanted to actually, _genuinely_ help out, then who was I to stop him?

“Alright,” I conceded. I picked up the spellbook, closing it and tucking it underneath my arm. Then, another thought struck me. “I don’t suppose you know where Chen will be?”

Pythor hummed. “Well, I did overhear them talking about conquering the east. But, by the sound of things, and as strong as the Anacondrai are, they’ve probably already done that by now.”

I made a soft sigh of distress. “Great…”

“Then after that, they were planning to move west,” he continued. “Which, of course, means that they’ll have to move through Echo Canyons.”

“Echo Canyons,” I repeated, wracking my memory for the map of Ninjago I’d attempted to memorize long ago. If they were headed there, what path would that take them through? “Echo Canyons… Echo Canyons…! The Corridor of Elders!” The canyons bottlenecked there, which meant that Chen was guaranteed to pass through it. If Lloyd and the others were making a stand, it would be there. “That’s where they’ll be.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” Pythor asked, sounding almost excited. He hopped up onto my shoulder, pointing forward. “Let’s be off!”

I gave him a bemused look, raising an eyebrow as I somehow resisted the urge to flick him off of me. “Riiiight…” I didn’t like it one bit, but I supposed taking him with me would be a good idea. Not only could I keep an eye on him, but he could explain his idea to the others better than I could.

Knowing I had no time to waste, I scurried out of the train car and stopped in front of the tunnel I’d entered initially. If Blade-Copters could fit through the tunnel, then so could a dragon.

“Might wanna hang onto something,” I advised Pythor.

The tiny snake made a confused frown. “Uh… Why?”

I merely responded with a smirk before pulling my mask on. I then leapt into the air, calling my light from within and summoning my power dragon. The bright yellow dragon appeared beneath me, roaring in determination. After adjusting myself in the saddle, I let the dragon flap its wings and take off, flying into the dark tunnel. The brilliant light the dragon was emanating lit up the tunnel in a soft yellow glow as we zoomed through it. Pythor shrieked non-stop for a good minute, latching onto the fabric of my gi mask to keep from falling off my shoulder. I laughed at him, my voice muffled in the air rushing past my face.

In no time at all, my dragon was swooping up out of the tunnel and into the bright blue sky. I cheered loudly as my dragon carried us far above the land, beginning our journey toward the Corridor of Elders. If I didn’t have to hold onto the reins and the spellbook, I would’ve been letting my arms fly behind me. Even during a crisis, I always found a little time to enjoy flying through the air on the back of a dragon. It made me miss Ultra Dragon a little more---but at least I still got to enjoy the experience, even if it wasn’t with him.

Pythor, meanwhile, looked very frightened, repeatedly glancing down at the desert far below us and holding the cloth of my gi mask in a death grip. “This is madness…”

“I did warn you,” I reminded him. I guess he didn’t like dragons much. A part of me wanted to do a few loop-de-loops just to see him panic more, but now was not the time.

My dragon kicked it into overdrive, sensing the incredibly urgent need to get to our destination. It turned out that we were a lot farther from Echo Canyons than I’d originally thought, so it took us a little while to get there. I had the idea to call the others on my comm device, but it still wasn’t working for some reason, as if the frequency was being jammed. I tried not to frantically worry the whole way there, praying that Lloyd and everyone else would be okay.

At last, we came upon Echo Canyons, and soon arrived at our destination: the Corridor of Elders.

What a place for a pivotal battle. The cliff walls of the corridor were lined with giant stone carvings of our ancestors, some of the most prominent figures in Ninjago’s history. The battle had already begun; I saw the purple sea of Anacondrai cultists clashing with those defending Ninjago. The thing was, it wasn’t just my friends and the Elemental Masters fighting. I spotted normal, everyday people amongst them, and even some children, doing what they could to fight. I think I even spotted a few Serpentine fighting down there. Each of the Elemental Masters, including my friends, fought with their elemental powers, wreaking havoc upon the Anacondrai and holding them back with everything they had.

The sight brought a proud smile to my eyes, proud of my friends for uniting Ninjago’s people. But I was also envious. “Dang it, I’m missing the battle!” I grumbled, mostly to myself.

“We must find Garmadon,” Pythor told me. “We need him if we want to end this.”

I wondered why, but knew I’d find out soon enough. That was when I looked beyond the corridor and spotted a glorious sight: the new and improved Destiny’s Bounty, soaring through the air once again!

“The Bounty!” I exclaimed as I spotted it. “It looks so cool!”

I immediately steered my dragon toward it. It provided air support in the battle, shooting nets and casually dropping its anchor onto enemy vehicles down below. On the deck, I spotted Misako, Sensei Wu, and Sensei Garmadon, with Nya at the helm. As I approached the ship, I saw a familiar green figure ascending the anchor’s chain and climbing onto the ship. When the people on deck spotted me, they all turned to me in surprise, running to greet me as I dismissed my dragon and landed on the deck, spellbook in hand.

“Aurora!” Lloyd cried in relief, running up to embrace me. “Where have you been?! We were worried!”

I tugged my mask off and smiled sheepishly, feeling guilty. “I’m sorry! I really didn’t mean to be away for so long, but I went on a little mission to get...this!” I presented the spellbook dramatically, bringing it over to the railing on the ship’s side and opening it up.

“The Book of Spells!” Lloyd exclaimed in shock.

Pythor hopped off my shoulder and landed on the page I’d bookmarked. “Ah, solid ground once again…”

I rolled my eyes. “And I begrudgingly brought Palethor with me. Believe it or not, he wants to help. He has a plan that can end this war.”

“I told you not to call me that!” Pythor yelled indignantly at my use of the degrading nickname.

I responded very maturely by sticking my tongue out of my mouth.

Sensei Wu shook his head. “They’ve crossed the line of no return,” he reported grimly. “No amount of power can stop this now.”

“But the might of a true Anacondrai can,” Pythor stated.

“Do you see what’s happening?” Garmadon asked, sounding unconvinced. “This isn't about you. Making you big solves nothing.”

Pythor shook his head, pointing to the spell I’d bookmarked. “But if the generals you banished to the Cursed Realm so long ago saw this mockery, they would stop this travesty at once.”

“No one comes back from the Cursed Realm,” Misako pointed out.

Garmadon was quiet for a moment, picking up the spellbook and turning to her. “Unless he that cursed them takes their place,” he read aloud. “ _I_ could unleash the spirits of the Anacondrai generals.”

“If you banish yourself,” Pythor added, making my stomach drop. “Magic has its rules, you know.”

“Wait, what?” I exclaimed. He’d never said anything about that! To bring the generals back to end the war, we would have to lose Garmadon in the process? “I changed my mind. This isn’t a good idea.”

“She’s right. We’re not cursing you,” Lloyd stated stubbornly, taking the spellbook from his father. “We’re not losing you to bring them back.”

Garmadon gave us a sad look of acceptance, as if he’d already made his decision. “If we do nothing, we lose Ninjago.”

“We don’t even know if they’ll help,” Misako pointed out.

“We _do_ know that the real Anacondrai wanted peace as much as us,” Garmadon stated. “It was Chen who started both wars.” He then sighed, regretably. “I never thought I'd say this, but Pythor is right.”

Pythor put his hands on his hips, smiling proudly.

I shook my head in dismay. “No…” Was this really the only way? Did we really have to lose Garmadon again?

“I cannot allow this, brother,” Sensei Wu protested.

“Who are we fooling?” Garmadon asked. “There's not enough time for me to make up for the pain I've caused in my life. But if I could save Ninjago---”

Lloyd stomped over to him. “You want my blessing to walk out on us again, _fine_!” he shouted. “But don't expect me to stick around to watch you go. My _real_ family needs me.” He dropped the spellbook in front of his father, then tugged his mask on and ran to the other side of the ship, diving over the edge to rejoin the fray of battle down below.

The gut-wrenching scene nearly made my heart shatter. _Lloyd…_

“Lloyd, wait!” Garmadon cried out in vain.

After a moment, I sighed, shaking my head sadly. “Well...I’d better go make sure he doesn’t hurt himself,” I said, preparing to go after the Green Ninja.

I’d only taken a few steps when Garmadon called me back. “Aurora? Wait.”

I turned around, confused to see him slithering over to me. The look of pain on his face made my heart ache. To my surprise, he pulled me into a hug.

He spoke softly to me in a quiet plea. “Please...take care of my son for me.”

A father’s last, desperate wish. It was in that moment when it really clicked that I would probably never see Sensei Garmadon ever again. I also realized just how much I would miss him when he was gone. He was my second sensei, and had taught me many things, and had guided me with his wise advice. When I’d first met him, he was our evil adversary---but he’d grown into someone I knew I could count on. He’d long since become a part of my family.

And in many ways...he’d shown me what it was like to have a father.

I smiled, returning the unexpected--but not unwelcome--embrace. “Forever and always,” I vowed, trying not to cry. “I promise.”

Garmadon pulled away and gave me a grateful nod. After returning the nod, I turned around, pulled my mask back on, then leapt over the side of the Bounty.

As I dived through the air, I spotted Lloyd, flying into the Corridor on some sort of hoverboard device. I summoned my dragon again, following him. He leapt off of the hoverboard, and started fighting the Anacondrai cultists with everything he had. He fought almost automatically, like his mind was elsewhere. 

I knew that it definitely was. He’d sounded angry with his father, but he was really angry with the world. It had taken his father from him already, and now it was happening again. I couldn’t imagine what he was feeling, what was going through his head, but I had a pretty good idea. After all we’d done to get his father back, we’d have to lose him again…

How was that fair?

My dragon vanished once I was overhead, and I dropped down to Lloyd’s side to finally join the battle. Lloyd and I didn’t need to exchange any words; we immediately fell into sync beside each other. We fought as one, kicking and punching and leaping about, using Spinjitzu and our elemental powers as we took down Anacondrai after Anacondrai. Even as we fought with all our might, the Anacondrai still kept coming, but we didn’t slow down. At one point, Lloyd formed an orb of energy around himself, rising into the air before crashing back down in the middle of the Anacondrai, scattering them and taking them out.

I approached Lloyd as he landed, placing a hand on his arm before he could jump back in the fray. “Lloyd?”

He turned to me with a questioning look.

“You should at least see him off,” I advised gently, even though I knew how hard it would be for him. “If you don’t, then you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”

Lloyd grew a little angry and frustrated again, glaring down at the ground. But as the seconds passed, the feelings subsided, morphing into a look of weary acceptance. He then looked back up at me. “Give me a lift?”

I smiled, nodding. I summoned my light dragon, and he hopped aboard behind me. He held onto me as I swooped up into the sky, making a beeline for the Destiny’s Bounty again. As we drew near, we saw Sensei Wu, Pythor, and Misako standing before Garmadon, who was enveloped in a swirling green vortex.

“Tell Lloyd I’m sorry,” I overheard Garmadon telling his wife.

“You can tell me yourself,” Lloyd stated as I landed my dragon on the deck again. The two of us quickly hopped off, walking over to them and pulling our masks off. “If anyone should be sending you off, it’s me.”

Garmadon fondly smiled at him. Lloyd took the spellbook from Sensei Wu’s hands, and I stood beside him as he picked up where his uncle had left off.

“ _Kenji... Severus... Toto-demada... Cursono... Neeboro.._."

A beam of blue light shot up from Garmadon and into the air. A massive portal appeared in the sky, swirling outward and making an ominous wind blow around us. I was awed at what I was seeing, and I dearly wished that I wasn’t seeing it.

Lloyd continued reading the spell, each word coming out more strained. " _Actu... Cursono... Neeborro…_ ”

“I yearned to make the world in my image.” Garmadon spoke to his son as he was sent off. “I never realized I already had---in you.”

Lloyd shouted the last few words of the spell---and I could hear in his tone how much it hurt him to say them. “ _Sono! Hokido! Bo-rock!_ ”

Garmadon began groaning and shouting as the light enveloped him, as if it were painful for him. It slowly carried him upward, into the giant portal in the sky. He was being sent to the Cursed Realm. It hurt beyond words to watch, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away. _Why?_ I thought. _Why is this the only way?_

Misako was the first of us to speak once he was gone. “Is he…?”

“We shall see,” Sensei Wu stated.

As Garmadon reached the portal, a blinding white light spread across the sky, making us shield our eyes from its intense glare. Once it subsided, the blue pillar of light had vanished, taking Garmadon with it. Out of the giant swirling portal came several spooky green wisps---the spirits of the Anacondrai generals.

They circled the Bounty once, then dived downward, spreading out across the battlefield below. They went right for the Anacondrai cultists, enveloping them in their green mist and turning them into ghosts. They were cursing them, and sending them into the Cursed Realm as punishment for their crimes. I watched as one by one they were all caught and sent into the dark realm that waited above.

The last to go was Chen, and he went kicking and screaming that he couldn’t be cursed. Despite the circumstances, it was extremely satisfying to watch. Once he had been pulled inside the Cursed Realm with all of his followers, the portal imploded, vanishing from the sky like it had never been there at all. A faint ringing sound was all that remained, and when that subsided, our allies down below began cheering loudly and triumphantly.

At last, we had won the war.

So why did the victory feel hollow?

Lloyd, still holding the spellbook close, visibly slumped, looking like he was trying his very best not to break down and cry. I immediately hugged him, offering him all the comfort I could.

“Oh, Lloyd… I’m so sorry,” I told him, knowing that the words wouldn’t help much but saying them anyway.

His mother came up on his other side, placing a comforting hand on his trembling shoulder. “The war is over. It had to be done.”

Before he could say anything, the spirits of the Anacondrai generals flew back up to us, convening on the deck of the Bounty. They indeed looked like true Anacondrai, even as green, ghostly figures.

“Thank you, Pythor,” the leader--Arcturus, I think his name was--said to the tiny snake. “You should be rewarded for your courage and bravery. You have made your ancestors proud… Finally.”

I held back a snort, finding it amusing that even Pythor’s ancestors disapproved of his evildoings.

Pythor chuckled. “Oh, what can I say? Everyone can change.”

I would wisely remain doubtful of that.

Arcturus raised his hand, sending a beam of green power down to Pythor. It enveloped him, making him grow back to his original, overgrown size. He gasped, delightfully surprised as he studied himself.

“That’s more like it!” he exclaimed, his voice no longer high-pitched. “Haha!”

_Oh dear_ , I thought, shaking my head as I smiled. _Something tells me this will come to bite us in the butt later…_

Arcturus then floated down to me and Lloyd. “And thank you, Master Lloyd and Master Aurora. Because of your friends, you have done what we never could: united the Serpentine and your kind as one. Because of you, the balance is restored.” He then turned to solely address Lloyd. “And because of your father, our spirits can be free. You will have our eternal respect as the greatest warriors to ever battle for Ninjago.”

Lloyd and I both gave them nods of respect. After that, the Anacondrai generals turned around and rose into the sky, vanishing back into another realm.

As Nya brought the Destiny’s Bounty down for a landing, I took the spellbook from Lloyd’s hands, set it down, and then gave him the largest bear hug I could manage. He buried his face into my shoulder, and I held him tightly, comforting him as he had comforted me when Zane had died. I heard him try his hardest not to cry, but a few sobs managed to escape, and that broke my heart, making me want to start crying, too. The poor boy had just lost his father. Again. Just as he had gotten him back from the clutches of evil, he’d been snatched away again. I knew that life wasn’t fair, but _nothing_ could prepare you for something like that.

Lloyd would be grieving for his father for a long time, as would I. It would be incredibly tough for him, but I vowed to be there for him every step of the way. After all, I’d promised his father that I would take care of him---and I very much intended to.

As the Bounty came in for a landing beyond the Corridor of Elders, our friends plus the other Elemental Masters rushed up to greet us. Lloyd and I jumped down to meet them, celebrating in our victory. Thanks to us all, Ninjago was safe once again. I was sure to hug each of my brothers in turn--gladly suffering a noogie from Cole--so very elated that we were all finally together once again.

Griffin laughed, lightly punching Cole’s shoulder. “Haha! You showed them!”

“You mean _we_ showed them,” Cole corrected. “Thanks for fighting with us.”

Karlof hummed, throwing his arms around Kai’s and Jay’s shoulders. “Smarter than fighting against you.”

Everyone shared a laugh at his words. I marveled at how far all of us had come in such a short time. It was good to know that the Elemental Masters were all allied again, just as our ancestors had been before us.

I smiled at them, deciding to speak up. “If you guys ever need us, you know where to reach us.”

“Yeah,” Jay agreed. “Anytime you need help, just holler.”

“Same goes for you,” Neuro told us, smiling. “I imagine we all have homes and villages to get back to. Thank you, ninja.”

“Thank you, friend,” Zane replied.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Skylor--no longer an Anacondrai--walking away from the group. I was about to approach her, when I saw Kai go after her and stop her. I smiled as they talked with one another and held hands, deciding to let them have their moment. I hoped that Kai would work up the courage to kiss her; I knew how difficult confessing feelings was.

A thought struck me, and I turned to Lloyd while everybody else excitedly conversed about our victory. “By the way, sorry for just running off without any warning,” I apologized. “I should’ve at least told you what I was doing before I did it, but I had to act quickly before---”

“Hey, don’t worry about it,” Lloyd cut me off, giving me a reassuring smile. “You did what you had to do to help save Ninjago. We might not have stopped the Anacondrai in time if it weren’t for you.” His smile slowly vanished then, as he remembered what had just happened.

I immediately pulled him into another hug, not needing any explanation and offering all the comfort I could give him. I foresaw a lot of hugs like this in the near future.

After a moment, Lloyd sighed. “I’m just...not sure how I can go on without him,” he choked out.

I pulled away so that I could see his face, gently wiping the tears from his cheeks. “It won’t be easy,” I admitted, “but I know you can do it. We’ll all miss him so much, but instead of being sad, we can honor his memory. I mean, he single-handedly saved all of Ninjago. Twice!” I added, remembering how he’d slain the Great Devourer so long ago. “Your father will be remembered as a hero, Lloyd. Even if he can’t physically be here with us any longer, he’ll always be with us in spirit.” I gestured to him. “He lives on in you.”

My words thankfully brought a smile to his face. “Thanks, Rose,” he said.

I mirrored his smile, leaning in close. “And you know that I’ll always be with you, too,” I stated.

“I know,” Lloyd replied. “You always have been.”

“And I always will be,” I assured him, grinning. _Forever and always._

Lloyd was the one to initiate the hug this time, holding me like I was a lifeline. “I love you, Rose.”

“I love you, too, Lloyd,” I immediately replied, squeezing him before pulling away. “Now, how about a victory kiss? We _did_ just win a war, after all. And maybe it'll cheer you up.”

Lloyd chucked and raised no complaints, leaning in to meet my lips with his own.

. . .

As evening faded into dusk, I gathered with my family atop the canyon. We circled a flickering campfire, the bright orange light of the setting sun glowing behind us. I stood between Lloyd and Sensei Wu, holding a teacup. The only one not holding a teacup was Lloyd, who held the spellbook in his arms as he stared into the fire. I’d barely strayed from his side since his father...left. Neither had his mother. It seemed that we both shared a silent agreement to be there for Lloyd in the difficult days ahead of him.

On another note, interestingly enough, we’d parted ways with Pythor on understanding terms. We agreed that we wouldn’t drag him back to Kryptarium Prison, _if_ he actually managed to stay out of trouble. He agreed, seemingly eager to be free and live a normal life now that he was big again. I, of course, remained skeptical. I would never trust Pythor, and who could blame me for that? But, admittedly, he had helped us out. I supposed that granted him a second chance…

If he screwed it up, though, he’d get another whacking from the Yellow Ninja.

Sensei Wu poured steaming hot tea into each of our cups. Kai raised his cup after he’d received some tea.

“To the Anacondrai,” he toasted, “the greatest warriors of their time.”

“Yeah,” Jay agreed enthusiastically. “Now it’s our turn to make our ancestors proud.”

“Because we're proud of those who were here before us to show us the way,” Lloyd stated. He then lowered his head sadly. “Goodbye, Father...”

We all took a moment of silence and lowered our heads, too. I put my free hand on Lloyd’s arm, a gentle reminder that I was there for him.

“His loss will affect us all,” Sensei Wu said, mourning for his brother.

“Not his loss---his life,” Misako corrected, smiling. “He made us stronger, and he brought us together.”

We all gazed up at the sky, as if looking for him amongst the stars above.

I nodded. “He was a wise sensei and a true hero that Ninjago will always remember.”

After a moment, Lloyd spoke again---this time, with more confidence in his tone. “I am Lloyd Garmadon, son of Lord Garmadon.”

“Student of Sensei Garmadon,” Sensei Wu added, smiling.

“He made me who I am today,” Lloyd stated. “He was my father. He was my adversary. But in the end, he was my friend.”

Zane smiled. “Because of him, we will live to see tomorrow.”

“And for every tomorrow, we'll live to honor him,” Kai added.

Lloyd tossed the spellbook into the fire, burning it so that its dark magic could never be used again. As the flames consumed it, we all turned and gathered at the edge of the cliff, looking down into the canyon. A new statue was being carved into the wall of the Corridor of Elders: Sensei Garmadon, the man who sacrificed himself to save all of Ninjago. I couldn’t think of anything better to honor him by. As we gazed down at the statue, my hand found Lloyd’s, and we shared a smile.

“And because of him, we'll be ready for whatever comes next,” Jay said.

Cole grinned. “Skeletons, snakes, Nindroids, Anacondrai wannabes…”

“Don’t forget Stone Warriors,” I added with a smirk, nudging him.

He chuckled. “If they can't stop us, what can?”

“That's for tomorrow to decide,” Lloyd stated. “Today, we say goodbye to a legend.”

When I had first met Lloyd’s father, he was the infamous Lord Garmadon, the dark lord, feared by many. Now, he would forever be remembered as Sensei Garmadon, the man who had saved Ninjago. He’d come so far, and each and every one of us was proud of him, and proud to have known him. Because of his noble sacrifice, we had a tomorrow to look forward to, and we would always honor him for making the choice to save us all. He would truly live on as a legend.

Garmadon: a lord, a sensei, a husband, a brother, and a father who would forever live on in his son.

_**"...Morro..."** _

  
  


**_The End...?_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I had to put that at the end. Yes, I hate myself for it.
> 
> So, I am well-aware of how eager you all are for season 5. I am totally PSYCHED for it myself. I've already started working on it, and guys...the amount of angst I've already written kind of scares me. XD I've never written this much angst in my LIFE. However, I'm unfortunately not too far into it yet, life's kept me busy. But hopefully, over the holidays, I can get off my lazy butt and write, write, write! As much as I kind of want to go ahead and post what I have so far, I don't want you all waiting a ridiculous amount of time for the next chapter after I've posted everything I've written (I know how hard the wait for a new chapter is, trust me). Once I'm nearly finished with the season, I'll start posting---you have my word!
> 
> That being said, I most likely won't be posting book 5 until January. I'm sorry to make you guys wait that long, but I PROMISE you, it will be worth it! You guys are gonna go NUTS when you see what I have in store, and it will definitely be worth the wait!
> 
> I hope each and every one of you have a VERY happy holiday season (whatever you celebrate, I wish you the best!) and a happy new year!


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